F. T. Lukens

This is most certainly unusual in terms of a cast that includes Ellery whose pronouns are they/them, her cousin and her girlfriend, Knox, a familiar who loses his memories every time he returns to the otherworld, plus a number of supernatural folk ranging from a couple minor gods, a guy who isn't really alive, but isn't quite dead either who survives on other people's emotions, and some pretty nasty creatures called shades.
You begin by a woman making a bargain with the shades in a cornfield where there's a thin place between our world and theirs. Part of the bargain gets her Knox to serve her as she wishes.
Meanwhile, Ellery and her cousin work in the last remaining diner in a small city that's been in the grip of winter for the past five years. Ellery is fascinated by Knox who comes in regularly to pick up food orders for his mistress. When everything starts going off the rails, Ellery impulsively fights off the shades, protecting Knox. This is the beginning of their journey together that is complicated but sweet, and forces Ellery to evaluate everything she thought was real while embarking on a very scary journey.
A great plot and engaging characters make this a fine story… (mere)

Thank you to F.T. Lukens and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in return for my honest review.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Ellery is a human who doesn't believe in the supernatural; Knox is a familiar who has to convince them to believe in order to stay safe. Shenanigans ensue, and with the help of their cousin, her girlfriend, and an oddball cast of supernaturals Ellery learns to trust while Knox learns what it means to be human. Read if you like: a sweet romance plot, grumpy-sunshine, and a whole lot of found family.

I think Lukens really created a cozy fantasy masterpiece here. The vibes of this book were immaculate; the characters, worldbuilding, and prose were all wonderful. I didn't want to leave the characters behind when the book was over. The use of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth was a particularly good choice, given Ellery's character and their growth; they struggled to trust others cared about them throughout the entire book and the scene of them walking back to the crossroads showed not only that they learned that they could trust Knox to follow, but that they trusted in themselves enough that if he didn't they wouldn't break. It was immaculate. My only (very minor) gripe and the only reason this didn't get 5 stars is the action scenes. They felt weird to me; almost like they were moving too fast? I get that "cozy" doesn't really go with "the bad guys are attacking," but something about them didn't match the writing in the rest of the book in a slightly off-putting way.… (mere)