Initially, I was positively surprised maybe because of the very dark beginning but the quality goes down somewhat over time.
Especially the last quarter the quality noticeably dropped.
The pacing got slower and slower and it really started to drag.

Something that was surprising but didn't actually bother me at all was the absence of any kind of plot or classical arc structure. Tbh the book came across more genuinely to me this way. But the noticeable progress of learning stuff about the cast and the world, which carried everything throughout, slows down to a trickle towards the end. You don't necessarily need a lame pseudo-plot for the introduction book of a series (like most of them have) but you need something to keep it interesting. Nothing at all gets old fast.

But my biggest problem was that I was disappointed that my expectations from the grim start weren't fulfilled.
The whole cast started throwing around empty and cheesy platitudes about their horrible pasts in a way that honestly, at times, felt disrespectful towards anyone that actually suffered through tragedy and/or abuse like that.
I don't want to entirely discount the author's handling of these heavy topics.
While it didn't do them justice entirely, it was mostly fine. But at times it just leans too far into "with friendship and love we will overcome all adversity" land.
I will go on a limb here and predict that the series will use sex to fix emotional trauma later on.
If you start out with characters' pasts as dark as this, you have to be willing to deal with it properly. A book that draws the reader in with gritty and painful tragedy like that but then doesn't actually wants to deal with all those heavy topics just makes me feel cheated.

As a more general criticism I want to mention these emotional wounds or scars that don't seem like they actually hamper the characters. They end up being more of a benefit than anything beyond their introduction because they are so heavily used as plot devices but are then handwaved away as soon as they become inconvenient.
While it's not as bad as in other books I've read, I still got that impression from this one.

I won't continue the series but I think it is worth a try if you aren't as sensitive to the stuff I criticized. ( )

It's been quite some time since i magically stumbled upon a new author and new series that made me want to shout from the rooftops about how BRILLIANT said book was! This was indeed one of those books. It had me chuckling aloud in places....but no this is by no means a comical book. There are MASSIVE themes of trauma, loss and PTSD wrapped up within a supernatural world and teen life....Callie has endured trauma and torture at the hands of her sadistic male sperm donor (I REFUSE to refer to him as her dad) that would've 100Êused someone else death. It's a mystery how her mind didn't shatter....yet somehow in her deepest hours she survived "magically" and has no clue how. She was only rescued because he attempted to kidnap an innocent woman who coincidentally looked similar to her deceased mother. Of course he NOT behind bars for the hell on earth she endured....but at least he was locked away (for now). Thankfully, her maternal aunt Mildred came to whisk her away to another town. Imagine trying to convince your mind moment by moment that you are in fact safe. Every little touch, sound, or something as innocuous as stairs won't cause you pain or harm. Breathe in. Breathe out. It will all be fine....he WILL NOT WIN. All of that insanity, getting to know a relative she'd never met or heard of (awkward, no matter how well meaning), AND starting school at a new school later than everyone else....#winning ! The cherry on the sundae???? She awakens to discover a strange guy muttering over her bed....WTH??!?! It takes a second to realize she can also see through said guy. Welcome Felix the friendly ghost (heretofore known as Casper 😉) who she learned used to live in this house (and this room) until a few months ago.....cue creepy music....when he and his family were murdered. The catch? Nobody is supposed to be able to see him....well except his friends that is....oh!and now Callie it seems. She's still not completely convinced her mind didn't invent him....so he tells her to meet him at school the next day with his friends.

Surprise surprise, Caspar is legit and with a few hunky hunks of giant yumminess. As if her world isn't nutty enough she quickly learns Felix thought she was a nephilim as only they can see ghosts. After meeting two of his pals this is quickly nixed as they are both Belgium themselves and say she's not. Yet the gang can tell she's not human as she can see Felix....plus the werewolf of the bunch can smell magic on her. So he decrees she smells like a witch sort of, with something he doesn't recognize mixed in. There goes trying to keep her head down and pass without notice. After all she had endured, there's now all this?!? Cassie and the guys try to figure out what she is and what's going on...of course she's also desperately trying to keep her internal freakouts from these highly observant friends, and attempting to live as close to normal a life as possible. There's plenty of dark humor, friendship, PTSD episodes, magic and supernatural stuff galore...and you won't want to put it down once you start. I devoured the book front to back in under two hours and it left me wanting MORE MORE MORE!! Enjoy! This is the start of a riveting and exciting series. ( )