This is the author’s second book after her hugely successful debut, Voyage of the Damned. This is much darker and a lot more ambitious, with horror elements, a complex puzzle plot packed with secrets, reveals, mythology, spiritual metaphors, and emotional depth (PHEW!!)—I was literally emotionally exhausted by the end! You really have to pay attention while reading, as there are so many details and layers throughout that it becomes confusing if you don’t. If I were rating this book purely on its layers, themes, characters, and originality, I would give it infinite stars! But the pacing is uneven at times, and the dark/complex themes aren’t for everyone, so I can see how there may be mixed reviews. Alongside its awesome labyrinth setting, there are great tropes—portal worlds, found family, memory loss, enemies-to-allies, ancient gods, impossible trials, hidden identities, prophecies, and more! The themes are almost endless, including ideas about reincarnation and spiritual paths, but it mostly examines how trauma and fear can affect memory, identity, and behavior, as well as the impact of ending harmful generational cycles.

The story is told mostly via Hop’s perspective, and the author quickly hooks you with a fascinating setup—Hop finds himself alone in the entrance cavern of the labyrinth with no memory or idea where he is. He meets Amber (a girl whose eyes have been replaced with amber), and they make their way to the “Respite Room,” where they meet Dolores, a giant talking owl who explains the trials required to reach the Bone Door and escape. The chapter titles match the different rooms and levels, and I felt like I was progressing through the labyrinth alongside the characters. Along the way, Hop meets more children—Little, Sunny, Storm, Thistle, and Bear—each with missing memories and body parts. There’s conflict and mistrust between them that gradually develops into an enemies-to-allies dynamic and eventually a heartfelt found family. Their true identities and histories are slowly revealed, and some of those revelations will blow your mind! Add in ancient gods, collapsing worlds, time jumps, cult-like divine followers, puzzles/riddles, and increasingly difficult trials, and you get a story that’s SO layered and unlike anything you’ve read before.

I’ll warn you again that pacing isn’t the book’s strength. If you’re not fully invested in the characters, you may drift during some of the many character-development and dialogue-heavy sections. But if you love the characters like I did, you’ll be engaged the whole time. I lost count of how many reveals, secrets, and twists this book had—I highly recommend writing things down as you go along to keep track of it all! The final chapters include some mind-blowing reveals, heartbreaking moments, and heartfelt ones—and it ends on a hopeful note that will have you smiling. You’ll want to unpack it all with others afterwards, so it’s the perfect choice for a buddy read or book club—but plan enough time to get through it because this is absolutely a marathon read!