When I read the synopsis of this book, it reminded me of another book about a child of an author, who wrote them in their book. It took me a moment to realize that book was also written by Melissa Albert. She has a niche. This book was different. Guinevere and Ennis’ mother was a famous author who used their names and likeness as inspiration. The world started to know them as their characters. Over the years, Guin leaned into it, but Ennis didn’t. As idyllic their life seemed from the outside, it was anything but in reality. They lived in a farmhouse in Vermont. Their mom was mostly absent even though she was there, and their father was more visible but also an alcoholic and adulterer. The story goes back and forth between the present, where Guin is releasing a memoir, and Ennis decides to have a surprise art exhibition, and the past during their childhood. In the present, the siblings haven’t seen each other for over a decade, and Guin is starting to remember things about her childhood that she has forgotten or had blocked out. When she was 11 and Ennis was 13, both of their parents died in a house fire. Just weeks before their mother was to publish the fifth book in the six-book series. So how did these two become estranged? It’s not a simple story. I really liked how the story is set up. I felt like I could see the farmhouse and the freedom they felt, especially in the early years. It was disheartening watching Guin lose her innocence and her brother being more of a parent to her than her actual parents were. It does have a magical element, but most of the book is very rooted in reality. I don’t know how I feel about the ending, though. I will have to sit on it a bit longer, but all in all, it was a good book and worth giving it a shot.