I enjoyed this. There's not anything particularly original but it's an enjoyable mishmash of all my favourites. There's a real fairytale/folklore vibe happening - it reminded me a bit of Howl's Moving Castle. Okay I'll admit, it's probably just because Howl Howel. But whatevs. I liked Henrietta. She was unsure of herself but a survivor and I liked that she was willing to lie to protect Rook and save them both. I liked Rook and Lilly - although I guess I don't really know all that much about them either. Blackwood and Eliza were not bad but weren't really developed enough for me to have any strong feelings. I didn't like Magnus. The romance between Henrietta and Magnus was weak and annoying. I didn't like how it ended either - seemed way too dramatic to declare he couldn't let her go - they really didn't seem that close. But sometimes I forget how young adult novels can be. But there also wasn't too much of it and it didn't impact the story too much. There were quite a few loose threads and I hope they're explored in the sequel. It was never really explained why or what it could mean to have matching stave designs or how Henrietta recognised Sorrow-Fell. The thread about Henrietta's past and why she was abandoned was never really touched on again either. I did like that gender equality issues were brought up (I'm female - obviously it's a concern) but it was a bit too heavy handed in the execution. It felt preachy. My favourite parts were the interactions between Henrietta and Hargrove. I liked their magic lessons - it was pure fantasy and I loved it. I also enjoyed the interaction between Henrietta and Fenswick (the doctor/hobgoblin) and I really hope we see more of him. It seems to be a rich and diverse fantasy world (or perhaps just very busy) but the world building was a bit sparse on details at times - I'm not sure I really understood all the particulars of who was what and where and why. But it kept my attention and kept me reading. I was interested to know more and will definitely read the rest of the series. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Enjoyable. Looking forward to more in this series.