I received an ARC from the author via BookSirens
3

Hattie is already not happy to be moving to a strange small town, but things become completely terrible and out of her control once magical creatures over run it, stealing away her parent's Selves. Unsure why she can see things others can't, but having collected a few allies and leads to follow, Hattie forces her way into a magical world she shouldn't have been able to get to and makes a deal.

I have to first state that this book was listed as YA, which it is not, and had instead read it with the proper headspace of a Middlegrade book, I probably would have been less judgmental about certain aspects. For any who may be on the fence about the intended age range- the main character is 12 and the story itself is pretty juvenile, I do think the middlegrade audience might like this story, but it's too childish for teen or up.

What's nice about this book is the descriptions. Fuller clearly has a vivid picture of the things in this world, and can write them well. There are plenty of magical creatures and places that are described in such detail I feel I might actually be picturing what Fuller is. That's a skill, and it's used well, if not a bit overused.

There's also a quirky cast of characters that work well for a middlegrade. I think it's pretty easy to get excited about a demon in a lantern that operates an elevator, and I think kids would have a goof time with him, as well as the others.

I also think the ending of this book is well done in terms of expansion. If this does continue as a series, there's certainly a good set up for a sequel that makes you want to know what comes next.

Over all, beyond the mis-marketing, I think there are just a lot of issues with the way this book begins. The descriptions come fast and clog up the plot, there are a lot of assumptions made, the pacing is inconsistent and overly fast. And even afterwards, though you can tell Fuller is excited to explain the world a lot of it contradicts itself or makes the details flimsy.

This book feels like a lot like a Spirited Away clone, mixed with [b:So You Want to Be a Wizard|116563|So You Want to Be a Wizard (Young Wizards #1)|Diane Duane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328877065l/116563.SY75.jpg|3464], and while I'm sure it has an audience, it doesn't seem like it's quite found its feet.