I really liked this book, but I would have liked it more if there was not so much going on: lgbt main character, person of color main character, racism, magic, the college admissions struggle, scholarship, rivalry for scholarship, unwanted attention from a teacher, family expectations, financial struggles. It feels like the author wanted to address so much in their debut novel, but addressed too much. There was not enough focus on one issue. I really liked the main character Shay. She reminded me of myself a bit: super focused on academics and getting into college. However, I do not think I pushed myself as hard as she does. I liked the scene with Ana and Shay where Shay admits that she thinks of Ana as her enemy, but finds out Ana thinks of Shay as her friend. I love how their relationship develops. I wish I knew more about this world before reading the book. It feels like in this world magic always existed and the world grew around it.