Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book for free! I did enjoy parts of it, but I do not think that I am the type of reader that this book is aimed at. I thought it was going to be a dark fantasy, and it was, but is was also very YA. Parts were very reminiscent of the series from my childhood (that I loved) Fablehaven. Since I felt like I was comparing this book to Fablehaven the entire time that I was reading it, I believe that this did hamper my enjoyment. I would have liked this more if it was more of an adult novel, but I think that tons of kiddos and young adults will find this book fascinating and enjoyable much more than me. I think I am simply outside of the target age range of this book, and that is why I did not enjoy this. The type of reader who would enjoy this would be a young adult who is interested in dark fantasy, and PG13 game of thrones vibes.