The Fascinators

Solid 3.5/5 for me.

The magic: love it! so cute and generally well-thought out magic system. I think Eliopolus highlights the limitations of magic really well - it's difficult to use, and some people are just better at it! Which, as simple as it sounds, doesn't seem to be very common in YA magic.

The Love: Also, LOVED it. my little gay heart was ROOTING for some characters to fall in love. The romance in the Fascinators took me on a ROLLERCOASTER of anger (boys can be so dumb!!!), heartbreak, and giddiness (like, the butterflies feeling when you have a crush). The Fascinators did an amazing job of portraying young love!

The Plot: This is where Eliopulos started to lose me. My main question throughout this entire book was, why? why are kids involved in this epic fight of evil vs. good? Why do they all love waffle house so much? Why doesn't Sam dream?

The Characters: They were fine. didn't blow me away, but each character was unique, and their motivations/feelings were pretty clear. I was never surprised by any of their actions (in a good way). Sam can be kind of annoying, but what teenager isn't?

Overall, definitely recommend the read for anyone who loves magic/gay teen romance