Status Updates From Verity Vox and the Veil of ...

The magical world building felt organic but also deeply convoluted. The dig at Harry Potter (we’d send you to a castle) was funny and this is joining the fine list of more inclusive alternatives to that series now. But tonally very different much more meditative even in the thick of the most intense moments of the final act.

Could not tell you the time period to save my life. I guess 1920s because the mention of speakeasies?

Lyrical prose and conversational narrator. But also kind of purple prose with very (very!) extended metaphors and drawn out descriptions. I feel like this falls into the “if everyone just talked to each other once we’d solve a lot plot problems before they became problems” but in a way that felt plausible and not contrived.

Grade 6 and up. Curious if it’s cataloged as J or YA. Can’t believe the slow pacing and wonder if that was true for book 1. This felt very much like a duology close but I guess there could always be room for more?

I feel like the ending with Obie was both subversive and anticlimactic?

People get to be special to more than one person

Lots of introspection. Lots of breaking the fourth wall in the way or oral tradition storytelling. Not a lot of action.

Back to foxfire. Crazy pacing

Very slow pacing. Definitely to a purpose but very slow.

Signs that go unseen don’t tend to do much good.