Don't worry, I'm not late to the party when it comes to this series. This is a reread inspired by the upcoming release of the tenth anniversary paperback editions featuring new covers that, to be quite honest, I didn't love at first sight. But in person? Wow do they grow on a body. And lets be real, as much as I love a cover, it's the insides that really matter. And was I afraid this might not live up to my memories? A tiny bit. It's 2020 after all. Much stranger things have happened.

Despite owning two different editions of this series, this was my first reread. I don't know how that's possible, either, but thankfully reliving the magic and wonder and heartbreak was only slightly less pow, bam, boom, amazing than the first time.

<i>Loneliness is worse when you return to it after a reprieve -- like a soul's version of putting on a wet bathing suit, clammy nd miserable.</i>

Taylor's writing is.. well, I mean, you either love it or you hate it. But I love it. I love how vividly and perfectly I can picture everything she describes. I love how I can sense the emotion she's trying to convey. I love how her characters can make you laugh just as quickly as they can make you bleed. It's really the whole package for me.

"<i>To take from the universe, you must give.</i>"
"<b>But.. why <i>pain</i>? Couldn't you give something else? Like.. joy?</b>"
"<i>It's a balance. If it were something easy to give, it would be meaningless</i>."
"<b>You really think joy is easier to come by than pain? Which have <i>you</i> had more of?</b>"
"<i>That's a good point.</b>"

If, after all these years, you're still on the fence about this series, you should definitely.. get off that fence. There is such wonder and magic in this story and, yes, darkness but also humour, with strong characters, hints of destiny, and.. inevitability, I guess. In a good way.

Surprising no one, I'm diving face first right into book two and absolutely preparing myself to be destroyed and devastated all over again. Bring it.