TW: ableist slurs, physical abuse, mentions of drug use, mentions of police brutality, murder, guns

I rated this one fives stars from the moment I started reading it and I don't even know why. Something in the first chapter drew me in and made me want to read more.

I love the way this story is paced, the voice, the characters. There's something so beautifully authentic about the characters, something tugging at my heart.

I love Fabiola so much. There's just something about the way her character is that makes me love her so much, want to wrap her in my arms and protect. But then I learn more about her cousins, see them from her point of view and in their stories and it makes me want to protect them too, and not in cinnamon roll kind of way, but a real and authentic kind of way, like they're real life people that I want to protect any way I can.

The magical element of this book is so amazing too, learning about the Iwas like Papa Legba and his songs and others, seeing the voodoo elements of Fabiola's life. It's refreshing, seeing vodou this way, without the dramatization where it's all evil blood sacrifices and such. It shows a truer side of vodou, that it's not just cutting heads off chickens and lighting for dramatic effects, there's a softer side, a truer side. There deeper roots.

There is an amazing authenticity to this book and I love it so much and I will definitely be reading it again just to experience it again. I only wish it would be like the first time, where the story unfolds and I don't know whatll happen next. Either way, I'm already excited about a reread and definitely Rec it for others to read too.