On a whim (and also because he could really use the funds for school) Bridger answers a Craigslist ad for a job for which the sole qualification appears to be the ability to physically scale the side of a quirky old house and enter through a tiny, blue door near the roof. Once inside, he's informed he's the new assistant to Pavel, an intermediary whose role is to manage conflicts and put out metaphorical fires when creatures of myth become disoriented and encroach on the human world. Weird, but the money is good, so why not roll with it?

The story was fun, and many of the ideas were novel and intriguing, though I'm not typically a fan of fantasy that overlaps with the mundane world. Midden ("trash") was such an unexpected name for a town that it made me chuckle. The writing is a little unpolished (e.g., a subtle thing like the author naming "Bridger" instead of using "he" frequently enough in the narrative that it felt unnatural and stilted). Astrid unfortunately felt like a caricature I had seen many times before: the sidekick with wild hair, piercings and bold makeup. Bridger's plan to move to Florida so he can come out sure didn't age well when viewed from 2023. Yikes. Recommended for teens into urban fantasy. ( )

3.5 stars

This was fun but not fantastic. Mixed bag, somewhat.

The epilogue was kinda vague? It also felt very abrupt and flat compared to the rest of the story.
The magical (ha!) resolution raised more questions than answers.
Also - fate of the worlds depends on one person resolving their issues? That's low. Still feeling deeply sceptical about it.

But hey, there is good stuff!
We got bisexual representation! Which is as rare as a unicorn in the wild. #bless
Parents are present and supportive and loving. And none of them are dead. #bless
The magi-mythical aspect was interesting, and I would have loved to get more of the team's adventures with the hidden world. Alas, only this one book.
Romance takes a back-seat. YES! Because it feels like all the books published these days focus on romance as the main aspect of a story. Thankfully, here it's just one of the elements.

This is a fun read that raises some important questions and promotes importance of family, blood-related and found both.

VERDICT : TRY IT! ( )

Oh my goodness! I simply don’t have the words to tell you how much I loved this book! The story is fun and a little quirky, but also keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out the big plot twist. ( )

Very enjoyable.
I would love it if the author followed these characters with another book.

And I love the cover. ( )

A hectic life of a teenager, a senior and a geek who has a crush on jock. He is ready to come out, but is petrified of the consequences. A life, packed with magical creatures running amok on top of all non-magical problems. You bet it's a fun read! :)

Chris, thanks for lending the book. EmilieSA, thank you for the rec!
I really enjoyed this one :)

4.5 stars ( )