Thanks to G.J. for a copy for an honest review. Below are my thoughts. No major spoilers.
"Prone to brash action, but when the melancholy strikes, it latches onto bits of my soul and sinks its teeth in so deep that when it finally, mercifully, detaches, the impressions left by the fangs are still felt long after."
HWATW is a love story to grief, to depression, and melancholy. Not as what it feels like as an adult, but what it feels like as a child/young adult and looking *back* as an adult. Heavily. The prose takes a huge leap as Ku describes his pain into borderline poetic territory. I marked so many of these in my read. It being an ARC, I won't label them here; however, I often paused and reflected on my own childhood. And I don't say that to say this book is YA. Just younger characters with adult themes.
G.J. wears his inspirations proudly, and, I think, twists them into something his own here. It feels very inspired by shonen manga/anime. It lives up to that marketing well. If you enjoyed Demon Slayer or Bleach, I'd say to give this a shot. Just know that Ku is not a ray of sunshine. He is not Tanjiro, nor is he Ichigo. He is his own character here, melancholy personified and wanting to isolate himself at every turn. If you have not lived through it you might find it a little melodramatic? Maybe? But if you've lived it or know people that have, you know how all-consuming it really is.
The end is a little chaotic, but man... Impressed with how it came together. That being said, I don't see this as a standalone personally. I respectfully demand book 2...
4.4/5.0, rounded up to 5 because this being rated a 4.0 is criminal.Â