If I had to describe this book to someone, the first way that comes to mind is that it’s very similar to Spirited Away. Within the first few pages, you’re whisked (on with the aid of a dragon) into the spirit world where friends and danger lie around every corner.

One theater technique that is relied upon heavily in this book is the use of masks to convey that someone is keeping a secret. Mina’s three closest companions in the story all wear masks to hide their identity, something that actually comes across very subtly because you sort of assume that all spirits wear a mask for a while (or was that just me?). It brought tears to my eyes to learn that they were wearing masks to hide the fact that they were Mina’s ancestors and weren’t allowed to interfere.

I also enjoyed the twist that the Sea God wasn’t really the Sea God, this prevented the story from being completely predictable (which wouldn’t have been a bad thing either because the story was enjoyable). My only real question, having finished the book, was why did people remember Mina but not remember who the Sea god and the Prince were?

It was also interesting to participate in the characters’ debate on the duties and responsibilities of Gods and Humans. Do the gods deserve payment for their services? Why isn’t prayer enough? This debate was excellently punctuated by the goddess of moon and memory becoming the goddess of women.

I wish the book’s pacing was a little different, parts seemed rushed and it would have been nice to spend a little bit more time in the world that Oh created.

Next month, we’re stealing a book from Reese’s recommendations: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. While I feel a little bit as though this book can go either way, Reese’s recs tend to be books I enjoy.

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store’s security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone family, and the complicated reality of being a grown-up. It is a searing debut for our times.