I have been excited about this book since I read the description! I’m not really sure what to say about it now that I’ve read it. I was, of course, thrilled to get an ARC to review so I dove into reading it right away. It starts out pretty strong as Ward and Camille are introduced right as they are reunited as a couple. Their passion for one another is clear, although at this point we don’t know why they have been apart. They are fairly quickly separated again, however, and stuck in their respective buildings as the book blurb describes. It takes them a while to figure out what the heck is going on and as they do, they try to come up with a plan to escape.
I think what I was disappointed in with this book is that I expected it to be a book full of excitement and longing. Instead, the characters felt somewhat irritated with one another throughout the book, despite stating they missed one another. The book is filled with illusions to scary consequences, but they never really suffer any of these things. The story just sort of unfolds and concludes. I kept waiting for really high-stakes moments, or for the characters to break down or do something wild to happen. It just … doesn’t.
That being said, I liked the story. It kept me reading; I wanted to know what happened and why. It just wasn’t the story I felt like I was going to be getting from the blurb and the story I felt like it could have been.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Two people destined to be together, but to never see each other again, fight against the greatest odds in this powerful and moving fantasy novel by critically acclaimed author Roselle Lim.
Exes Ward Dunbar and Camille Buhay thought they would never see each other again. They had broken up to pursue their dream jobs on opposite sides of the country—her to New York City, and him to Los Angeles. But years later, they unexpectedly reconnect in London, where they are interviewing for similar jobs. The spark they feel when they meet again is palpable—the attraction comes back like muscle memory, reminding them of what they had lost. When Ward and Camille discover they both got the job working opposing shifts, they vow to give their relationship another try.
Ward starts the day shift and finds the immortal clientele unusual and dazzling. When he clocks out at the end of the day, he finds the door locked and himself trapped in the building. After a horrific first night shift contending with restless spirits and ghosts, Camille is also unable to escape. In their respective prisons, they discover that they’re able to talk to each other a few minutes before dawn. This fleeting encounter incites longing for each other, but their promise to be together feels impossible. Because they are caught in the middle of a war of the gods—and their choices will determine the outcome.
