dnf at 20%. i snagged a copy of this for free last night after the author reached out on booktok to promote their novel in pursuit of reviews and traction. i was super excited for the plot and concept, but was disappointed with the hurdles between me and getting to the plot.

the book is in pretty big need of an editor. there's sections where words are misused; homophones like reeked (stank) and wreaked (wrought). there's also a reoccurring issue where lines are redundant or repetitive—ie: "Fresh air like I had never experienced before flew through the strands of my tangled hair. The hair became knotted and I tied it up into a bun with a piece of rope." with a little fine tuning, much of this could be fixed for a more seamless reading experience.

the first 5 chapters, introduction, and prologue are balanced between a sluggish pace and the quick introduction of a wide cast of characters. while some characters were unique and intriguing, they reasonably lacked depth this early on. but less acceptable was that other main characters fell particularly flat. by chapter 6, we pick up pace with the plot and the story hit some notes that really sold me on what i was reading. but that too was stunted by the recurring editing issues i had with the previous section.

i'd happily give this a 2nd try after some editing or a revised edition comes out.