The Book High

This came across to me more as a delightfully insightful exploration of friendship and love and responsibility and guilt and forgiveness than the simple fantasy/paranormal romance I'd been expecting from the blurb. And I loved it!

Jay was very sweet and I enjoyed the innocent exuberance with which he pursued the beginnings of a relationship with Lethe. And I loved Lethe! The more we were revealed about his life and his past, the more I loved him and wished for him to find his way to happiness.

I just wish I'd gotten to know Gristle a little better. Jay tells us over and over how close they are, how much like brothers they've always been. But by the time the book starts, they're already drifting apart--first with Gristle's job coming between them and then things with Lethe just add to that. From how Jay describes Gristle, he was a great friend and a wonderfully kind, unselfish, caring person, and it makes me sad that I never got to see that. All I saw of Gristle was a whiny, self-centered, self-destructive crybaby intent on making Jay feel guilty for his relationship with Lethe.

And I have to admit (though it may just be the romantic in me that was wishing for this) that I'd been hoping that Thoth would redeem himself in the end. I'd hoped that maybe he'd see how much Jay and Lethe loved each other--even after everything became so heartbreakingly difficult--that he'd relent and lift the curse by choice.

Although, that being said, I really did like the part the Gristle was able to play in the eventual and hard-won happy ending.

Jay and Lethe were beautiful enough together to make up for my little quibbles, though. And I enjoyed this book tremendously!