Title: Otherworldly
Author: FT Lukens
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
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Summary
In a place where everyone believes in the supernatural, Ellery doesn’t. The constant winter in their area just seems to be bad luck. Especially since no matter how much their family prays to the goddess, they still have to just scrape by. On the other hand, Knox is a familiar whose contract just came up. But instead of going back to the Other World, he decides to make a break for it instead. Where he runs into Ellery.
Ellery can’t quite believe the magic is real, despite having seen it with their own eyes. In order to stay in the human realm, Knox needs to make a deal with Ellery. And Ellery needs to figure how to end the never-ending winter. As the two start to spend more time together, they realize that there might actually be some sort of spark between them as well.
Review: Otherworldly
Thanks to Margaret K. McElderry Books for an advanced copy of Otherworldly by FT Lukens to review! Lukens has quickly made themselves a staple in YA cozy fantasy, and this book might be the coziest of them all. I loved the little found family that was at the core of this story, and Knox’s goal to just have fun? It made for such a lovely, engaging story.
This book is told in a dual perspective between Knox and Ellery, and I thought they both had unique enough voices that it didn’t get confusing. It allowed their voices to shine through, adding to the emotional side of the story. It helped build the core romance between them, and also helped with the world building at times. Plus, there is lots of great casual queer rep, which we always love to see in fantasy stories.
By the end, I also appreciated that there’s just as much importance placed on the friendships as there is on the romance. There’s no one version of love, and seeing that in a romance focused story is always excellent.
Though there’s a bit of action and the stakes are high at points, for the most part, the story is more focused on the quiet, emotional moments. The friendships. The relationships. The emotional growth. You’ll get drawn in with the characters, and you won’t want to leave them by the end.
All in all, if you love cozy, queer YA fantasy, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in April!
4/5 stars