Fr lukens a cannot write a single thing that I would not read and love. The main and supporting characters are incredible. And the grumpy/sunshine dynamic was 😘😘😘

I am convinced that I will never not love a F.T. Lukens book, and Otherworldly was no exception. This may be the coziest yet of their books, which is saying something, given how each and every one of their books is abundantly comfortable. Overall, the characters, worlds, and plots that Lukens uses are similar, if reskinned to tell a new story each time, which, when the stories are as good as these, is not a problem at all.
I will say that I think that this might be one of the sweetest romances throughout (which is definitely saying something). Ellery is a relatable grump and cynic, while Knox's sunny disposition is their perfect complement. The somewhat Orphean elements to this book, while not necessarily cozy, were particularly compelling. I absolutely devoured this book, finishing it in one sitting because I just could not put it down.

I've been a fan of F.T. Lukens for quite a while now and really enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine trope interwoven within this supernatural world. Highlights included the fluffy, heartwarming romance and suspenseful plotlines. Drawbacks for me include underdeveloped supporting characters and a slow plot progression.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, & Margaret K. McElderry Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

a region stuck in a perpetual winter for 5 years, a supernatural-skeptic teenager forced to leave school to work in a diner, and a mysterious weird hot guy who ran from his obligation. this was a fun read, mostly. kinda cozy, even. my favorite character was Charley--she's such a mood i couln't help but to stan lmao. the romance was sweet, and a scene reminded me of the bit from Orpheus and Eurydice's tale. overall it was a nice read! i loved it.

FT Lukens just gets me & the more I read their books, the more I want to be their best friend. If you liked SpellBound, you’ll love this. I love that FT books are always kinda in that cozy fantasy realm…just with higher stakes!

What to expect…
- grumpy/sunshine
- great winter read !
- casual queer/non binary characters
- supernatural elements
- afterlife

Thank you to the author, the publisher, & to NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for a review!

Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens was is everything I was hoping for and more. The main character is a skeptic tossed into a powerful magical situation; The romance is sweet and fluffy, and the vibes are delightfully queer. I can't wait to nab a physical copy for my collection.

Imagine agreeing to a familiar hoping for a toiny little cat that’ll sit on your shoulder and instead getting a whole ass HUMAN PERSON. Though honestly that’s what you deserve when you bargain your soul for a mystery familiar instead of going to a fucking shelter like a normal person. Adopt, don’t make trades with shadow demons.

Anyways, okay, review time. This is like a fluffy, FLUFFY romance scooped out of a contemporary setting and plopped into a world with supernatural beings.

Charley and Zada could use a LOT more fleshing out. They had flat semblances of personalities (sunshine and grumpy, in that order) but they had zero purpose aside from being supporting characters when they could’ve added a lot. I’m happy with Ellery and Knox though, no complaints there

The plot was .. *fine.* I didn’t really care about what was happening, but that’s not the point of the book, so I won’t judge it for that even though I’m totally judging it for that

The point of the book is the fluff. Sometimes it succeeded in being cute, and some other times it was all tell and no show.

My main problem, and prepare for a rant, is the age gap. Knox acts like a teenager. Knox has about 5 years of memories of life on earth, which is about accurate for a teenager. So why wouldn’t you make him a teenager ?????? Why must he have lived several lifetimes as a familiar when there’s literally no reason that detail needs to be added. This could’ve been his first time as a familiar and it would’ve changed nothing. I am and will continue to be mad at the 200+ year old dating a teenager trope, even though it didn’t feel icky in this particular book.

Complaints aside, I did have fun with it I swear 😭 I really liked the hints to Greek myth, and I liked following Ellery, and I liked the occasional weird descriptions like “plopping bonelessly into a chair”

Something I did NOT like was the audiobook. I went into it expecting Natalie Naudus (love her), but no. Ellery and Knox both had their own narrators, and they both horribly butchered some characters’ voices (some as in mostly the women. and mainly Charley. I’m so sorry Charley you do NOT sound that watery and old in my head)

(thanks for the arc, Netgalley !)

Set in a region devastated by a five-year-long winter, Otherworldly is an extremely unique book, with a premise unlike any book I’ve read before. I was drawn in by this setting, but what I enjoyed most while reading was the relationship dynamic between Ellery and Knox! It was delightful to read about Ellery, a skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic or the supernatural, as they dealt with Knox, a supernatural familiar with magic powers. This character dynamic created immediate narrative tension, which drove the story forward. Their opposing worldviews made for a perfect pairing of protagonists!

My Recommendation-
If you love magical stories set in an urban environment, you need to grab a copy of Otherworldly right away! I would especially recommend this book to fans of the Percy Jackson series, as the magic, found family, and adventure in Otherworldly all remind me of those books!

I think it’s official: I love this author’s books. Otherworldly has the typical F.T. Lukens charm: found family, funny dialogue, a third act conflict that always makes me nervous, and a plethora of LGBTQ characters.

I loved the grumpy/sunshine aspect and the interactions between Ellery and Knox. Their transition from strangers to friends to dating was super adorable and cute. And once again, my favorite part was the found family trope. Ellery really found their people and that was so heartwarming to read about.

Otherworldly made me laugh, cry, and I was seriously smiling most of the time. Another winner for me and I can’t wait for more from this author.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the review copy.

4.5 stars

Yet another F.T. Lukens book I absolutely loved! There’s just something about their writing that always hooks me. I think this is the fastest I’ve finished a book all year!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I need to preface this review by saying that Spell Bound (also by F.T. Lukens) was one of my favorite reads last year so I think my expectations for this one were just a little too high. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, it was very sweet and fun, but I didn’t love it start to finish like SB.

Things I loved: Knox’s golden retriever energy and Ellery’s grumpy cat energy, this is one of my favorite romance tropes and it didn’t disappoint here. I also loved the side characters, Charlie and Zada. Honestly, they kinda stole the show a bit with their very real loving and healthy relationship. I want to be friends with them! I did enjoy meeting the different minor gods and goddesses and getting to know the world a bit.

Things that kinda bored me: The beginning. I had to start this book 3 different times before I could get past like 25%, the beginning is just kind of slow and the world wasn’t very interesting (to me) and it took awhile to hold my attention . I want to say it was because this was set in a contemporary world in stead of a high fantasy one but SB was contemporary too and that book had me hooked from the start so I think it was just this world.

This book also has has a trope that I find super annoying, where one character is keeping a very big secret from the other even though it will totally devastate that person to find out because they have trust issues. I saw that drama coming a mile away!

Things did get more interesting and exciting in the last third of the book so I am still giving this a 4 but just wanted a bit more from it.

I find any interest in the story even after making it well over 100 pages in. Maybe another one of F.T Lukens would be a better introduction to their works than this one.

ARC (Belated) Review: Otherworldly By F.T. Lukens - @ ftlukens
Released: April 2 2024
Rating: 4/5
Format: e-book via @netgalley shortly before release
The Low-Down: Young Adult. Non-binary main character. Dual POV. F/F side characters. Adventure. Fantasy. Magic. Supernatural.

The story follows Ellery, the human who doesn't believe in magic, and Knox, the magical assistant on the run. A chance rescue in an alley has Ellery rethinking all they once knew and falling for someone they didn't believe existed. But that person is why the human world is experiencing a never-ending winter and why Ellery's family farm is on the brink of losing everything.

While I absolutely loved this book, as I have other F.T. Lukens' books, the plot is predictable. If you've read other F.T. Lukens books, you'll immediately recognize a pattern and how this will end. I know that can be a turn-off for a lot of people. However, the writing is still solid, and the characters are intriguing. The author has a wonderful knack for always writing strong Queer leads, as well as love stories that bend the realms (pun-intended.)

P.S. "The Shades" reminded me of Flotsam and Jetsam from The Little Mermaid 🤣.

The novel I think follows similar patterns to the authors other books, and I ate that up in this fun and spooky magical love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Knox is a witch’s familiar, brought to our world to help increase her magic. Ellery is a teenager forced from their home by a perpetual winter, who does not believe in magic. With Knox trying desperately to stay in the mortal realm, and Ellery trying to fix what’s broken, a deal between them might be the only way to solve both of their problems.

I have loved every one of the F.T. Lukens novels that I’ve read, and this one was no exception. Their books are typically a nice balance of heartwarming and adventurous. And can we talk about the incredible cover art? I really liked the cast of characters and the magical system in Otherworldly. The only thing that felt a little off to me was the pacing of the climactic action and ending. My favorite parts were the sweet domestic moments between Knox and Ellery in the middle of the book. I love the representation of queer and nonbinary main characters, as always, and look forward to reading more from this author!

4 stars This would be the fourth book I have read by Lukens and again a great read. I did find myself more engaged with Otherworldly than Spell Bound but still preferring So This is Ever After. I found this was a quick read and enjoyed the mythology of this story. I would not be opposed to seeing a novella or all of Luken's novels set further in the future of his couples.

F.T. Lukens delivers again with yet another amazing book. I was hooked on this book. I fell in love with the characters and the story had me wanting for more.

I will pick up and read F. T. Lukens books as soon as they come out. I don’t even know if they know how to write a bad book because every book I’ve read so far I’ve loved.

I really enjoyed the fantasy elements of this book and liked learning about the other realms, it also ticked off all the cozy vibes for me. It was so cute to be able to see both main leads developing crushes and getting it from both perspectives made it that much better.

Kind of a snooze fest. I found this book took forever to get anywhere and when it did, it really didn’t make up for the lack of entertainment.

I am a fan of Lukens' work for queer YA romance, but this one wasn't really hitting it for me. Some parts felt very filler episode-ish, so I began skimming parts. The connections between the characters are amazingly strong, and that's what kept me reading, particularly Charley and Zada. The supernatural aspect was a little weak and required too much suspension of disbelief. 5 years of winter and NONE of the other gods were like, hey, what's up? The ending was also too quick. A lot of the drama and conflict of the book was resolved too quickly, so it did not seem like there were any real stakes on the line. Overall, this book is a fun read if you are just looking for a fluffy, sweet queer romance that's not too heavy on plot.