I was expecting this read to be darker than it is. The idea of a child being abandoned and raising themselves in the wilderness intrigued me, though it’s not as feral as the blurb made me think. The abandonment issues were very relatable though. The descriptions of nature and relating it to human experience are my favorite thing about the writing(women be SO much like female fireflies ammiright?). The swamp is a beautiful fairytale fantasy land. I also appreciate the overall theme of conformity/civilization vs freedom/nature and the consequences and sacrifices of either, whether they are forced upon us from birth or choosing it despite contrary mental hurdles and/or social class. 

Coexisting includes not trying to assimilate each other!!

The magical nature writing is great. The human interaction is a bit campy, a bit Oxygen Channel lol. The murder mystery aspect seemed hastily wrapped up at the end and rather fell flat, though I was pleased by the just desserts. :] The romance is the real story here, my main concern the entire time was how they were going to turn out, and that too was hasty at the end.