Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased a hardcopy version of this book for full price.

For all that I read urban fantasy and LGBT fiction, it surprises me that this is my first F/F urban fantasy — and a young adult (YA) novel, at that. But if a book had to be my first, I’m pleased that this was it. It definitely took everything that I love about urban fantasy, LGBT fiction, AND young adult fiction and transformed them into something wonderful and fully engrossing. 

The cover snagged my attention first, but once techno-magic was introduced in the first chapter, I was all in. This is not your grandmother’s tale of the light and dark fae. This is a tale for a modern age, for modern readers. Especially readers who aren’t afraid to have familiar themes expanded upon.

It’s a lot harder for me to get into YA fiction than books primarily written for an “adult” audience, because the trope about how all adults are stupid and/or evil is the literal worst. Moribund employs none of that nonsense. I especially loved how Syl’s mother was an integral part of the team, adding both knowledge and skill (and some delightful plot twists).

This book probably could have been about one-fifth shorter, because both point-of-view characters get pretty swept up in snarky internal monologue. I caught all the references, but I’m around the same age as the author and I’m reading this book within a year of its original release. I’m crossing my fingers that it ages well, because I know this story is a rare find for a certain demographic of teenagers.

But even though I’m not that demographic, I’m definitely still all in for Syl and Euphoria’s next adventure!

Rating: 4.5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.