The Encanto's Daughter

This was, very unfortunately, a DNF for me. This may be a book I come back to in the future but, as of right now, it just really wasn't holding my attention. I didn't feel any sort of investment in the storyline or the characters and found myself only picking up the book to read 5-10 pages and then stopping. It wasn't catching my interest at all. 

I've enjoyed other books by the author so it may be a wrong timing situation and I'm just not in the mood for it. I can't really pick out anything that I genuinely found wrong with the book at all. It was just a case of my attention isn't being held at all.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved how it highlighted Filipino culture—from the food to the superstitions and especially the mythological creatures we grew up hearing about. And the setting, Biringan, was perfect! It's a legendary place in the Philippines where another world is said to exist, and the way it was described made it feel so real.

The worldbuilding pulled me right in, and the plot twists were timed just right, keeping me hooked.

My only issue was with MJ's character. At 18, she's about to become queen, but her dialogue felt more like that of a 14-year-old at times. She seemed a bit immature, and it felt like Lucas was doing a lot of the saving. However, I did see some good character development, so I'm hopeful for more growth in the next book.

And that cliffhanger... UGH! Why must we wait until March?!