This fantasy novel has some strong American Gods vibes and follows a supernatural being, Knox, and his human friends and love interest, Ellery (who is NB) as they try to find out why their town is stuck in 5 years of a continuous winter. In the process they meet all kinds of minor gods and beings who have made their life among humans.

I really enjoyed the friendships and found family vibes of this book, but I didn't really connect with the characters, who seemed rather one dimension. Since Knox has no memories, we know very little about him other than he is handsome (which is mentioned about 1402301 times) and likes movies, he's a bit of a loveable puppy. Ellery, the human Knox imprints on, we also learn very little about. They're "a skeptic" and "have a difficult relationship with their family" but we see very little of either of these or why they came to be and there is very little exploration of Ellery's character - who they are, what they like, their past, their future, or really anything about them other than the fact that they're a bit of a downer and they work a lot. I didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between Knox and Ellery as a couple. I think a platonic friendship story among the four (including Charley and her girlfriend) would have worked a bit better here.

While most of the book was slow paced and a little boring, the last 25% really picked up the pace and was quite interesting with a lot of Greek mythology influence and the ending did pack quite a lot into it.

FT Lukens doesn't miss with their cozy queer romances. Otherworldly features a grumpy sunshine romance between Ellery, who didn't believe magic was real, and Knox a familiar trying to evade the other world. I highly recommend this, even if you're not typically a YA reader, I think it will still resonate!

I’m a big fan of F.T. Lukens books so I have been super excited to read Otherworldly! I enjoyed the book and thought it was a solid story. All of the characters were great and the plot line and world building kept me interested. Definitely would recommend!

I was so excited to read Otherwordly by F.T. Lukens, because I’d seen their books everywhere and hadn’t yet had a chance to pick one up. Otherwordly turned out to be such a fun, light, and engaging read. This urban fantasy novel was equal parts cute and cozy. Reading it while the weather was cold and snowing outside was just perfect.

While this story wasn’t super complicated, it still had a lot of heart, and did a great job at featuring a strong cast of queer characters and found family. The teens in this novel felt like actual teens, which was nice since it’s meant for a YA audience. I’m so glad that teens these days get to see themselves better represented in the media they consume. And there were just enough fantasy elements sprinkled in to keep it entertaining. Featuring an utterly adorable romance, Otherworldly is the perfect fantasy novel for anyone looking for a lighthearted, easy read.

if there’s one thing that i know that f.t lukens’ books will do is make my heart flutter while i kick my feet and giggle like a tween girl in love. their stories, their characters, always just pierce straight through to my soul. and ellery and knox in otherworldly are no exception.

i love love. and i love how ellery and knox love. and i love that i keep getting the opportunity to read these stories early. because my soul honestly couldn’t handle waiting until it publishes… even if it’s only a week out at this point. otherworldly, as with lukens’ other books, are so quick and easy to read. but i loved taking my time with it. savoring these character stories. immersing myself in this frosty world.

el’s story actually starts five years prior to when the book takes place, when his life is thrown into a, as they would probably say, tundra. their family’s farm begins failing with a never-ending winter. and they loses their faith as their parents become more and more difficult to be around. when this book starts ellery and the “weird hot guy” — knox — have a literal run in. together they spark a deal (and a friendship — and maybe more) to end the winter.

ellery, at the beginning of this book is a broken, mainly in their faith. in others. in their religion. but through meeting knox, who ultimately forces them to open up more to charley (their cousin) and zada (said cousin’s girlfriend). they accept their little family unit. they face dangers and scenarios they never thought possible. and through the power of found family and love. they try to defeat it all!

knox, at the beginning of the book is grieving a loss. he’s also just confused and wants to answers for feeling neglected by his queen, who he was always a loyal servant of. through meeting ellery, and charley, and zada, and all the others along the way, he’s given a chance to be a human, even if for temporary. knox, while not a complete himbo, is definitely the golden retriever to ellery’s black cat grump.

knox is just so soft, so caring of ellery. an ellery is honestly, truly the same in return. even if they can’t share everything with each other all the time, they both have the same goals and intentions. they do their best to work together to solve their problems. to fight for one another. and fight is what they do.

this story is just so perfectly me. it’s fun and quirky and is just so damn beautiful. the way they love and grow and experience. their story pulled so perfectly at my heartstrings. and i loved every second of it. and i wish i had another 100 pages just to see them young and in love at the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for a copy of Otherworldly in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy F.T. Lukens books and Otherworldly was no different. This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and I'm happy to report that it was worth the wait!

As always, Lukens has a way of creating really lovable characters. Ellery is cynical and jaded after five long years of winter and parents who believe offerings and prayers will solve the dier states of their family farm. They pack up and head for the city to live with their cousin. Unable to watch their parents flounder in faith any longer. While working as a dishwasher in the only diner still standing they meets Knox. Knox is a familiar from the Other World. Sent here in a deal five years ago, he has been trying to blend into the human realm while assisting his human master, a witch named Arabelle as she tries to unlock the secret to life. Nothing makes sense to Knox. His Queen has not been responding to his messages and the shades have been well, acting extra shady. So when his deal suddenly comes to an abrupt end, Knox isn't quite ready to leave yet. So he runs. When the two have a crash encounter they form an unlikely partnership. Working together to solve the mystery of the never-ending winter and a Queen who has seemed to abandon her people, they learn to lean on one another and what starts as a partnership of convenience, morphs into friendship, and eventually, potentially, more.

Otherworldly is an enjoyable read and a relatively quick read too. I finished it in a single sitting! Can't wait for what Lukens writes next!ed it in a single sitting! Can't wait for what Lukens writes next!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I didn’t really gel with F.T. Lukens’ prior release, so while I was hopeful for their next book, I was also unsure, as this one was again different, and in leaning toward the more modern fantasy vein, as opposed to the secondary-world, fairytale feel of the first two books I read from them. However, with Otherworldly, while it was different, it had the cozy charm I had come to expect from Lukens, which was more than enough for me to give it a chance, and I ended up really enjoying it, especially as it wasn’t just another “Earth with magic,” but it instead a modern, Earth-like world with a blend of realistic and fantastical qualities. And while the afterlife as a concept isn’t untapped in fantasy, I really liked how this was explored, especially in terms of growth in belief in it.
Both Ellery and Knox are delightful. Ellery is perhaps the more immediately relatable, being a normal human with fairly normal human struggles, including having to grow up quickly due to their circumstances, even if said circumstances are a tad heightened. Knox, as a contrast, is a familiar whose mission is to help humans, but has a desire to remain in the human realm and live like a human. Their romantic dynamic is quite cute, and so wholesome, and I love that the supporting cast is also very supportive and form a solid family unit.
With it being rather cozy, it’s not overly high in terms of stakes, and the story unfolds at a leisurely, if steady pace. But the characters and their bonds kept me engaged throughout.
This was an enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a fun, cozy queer YA fantasy.

This may be my favorite Lukens yet. Once again, there's a lovable and quirky found family, urban fantasy done with just the right balance of the mystical and the trials of coming of age. Ellery and Knox do have the tropey insta-love of YA but it's still somehow a sweet slow burn with so much growth and vulnerability. Absolutely beautiful, and looking forward to the next one.

Summary: This YA novel is easy to follow with only a few moments of tension or stress; it fits with most examples of cozy fantasy. I appreciated that it was queernormative with no stress around the main character being nonbinary. Obviously those stories are really important but it's also nice to have an option where the characters can just exist in their identity with pure acceptance. I did find it a little simplistic, with a lot of the conflict just miscommunication and the fantasy element a little underwhelming. Overall, I think for the right expectations/reader this will be a great comfort read!

Characters: Ellery and Knox are both lovable and sweet characters, with a fun dynamic. I also really enjoyed Charley and Zada as side characters who provided some depth to the story. Loved the queer rep. However, I felt like Ellery's relationship with their family was presented in this very extreme way that was not really developed or delved into in a way that made a lot of sense and that affected the impact.

Atmosphere/Setting: A mixture between urban fantasy and high fantasy--the world was not our world, since it had three gods/goddesses that people regularly make offerings to, but there were also hockey games and text messages. For me, this was the weakest part. Magical creatures would just show up out of nowhere and join in the plot for no real reason, most of the god/goddess system was not explained, and what was explained was just info dumps.

Writing Style: Simplistic, easy to read, with charming dialogue. Typical YA writing style.

Plot: Also very simplistic though towards the end, there were some twists which added a bit of interest. If this book was one of Knox's teen movies, a bit chunk of the plot would have been covered in a montage instead of actual scenes. Sweet story but one that I don't think I would re-read or that will stick with me long term.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Otherworldly is exactly what I have come to expect from F.T. Lukens: a cozy fantasy/adventure with a wholesome YA romance and positive queer representation. A little predictable in a comforting way. As in Lukens’s other novels, LGBTQIA+ characters are common and accepted as a natural and ubiquitous part of society. In this case, our main character is nonbinary and their roommates/family are a lesbian couple. The book does not focus on challenges of being queer. While those kinds of books are important in their own way, fiction like this allows us to read about LGBTQIA+ characters doing everyday things, going on adventures, falling in love, doing all the things that straight cis characters get to do in other books without having to focus on gender, sexuality, or discrimination. I appreciate this so much, and it’s one of the reasons I don’t hesitate to recommend this for YA collections. I’d even recommend it to young teens. It has kissing and cuddling and a little bit of violence but is mild compared to a lot of YA. This book is joining Lukens’s In Deeper Waters and So This Is Ever After as a book I will return to for lighthearted romance and feel-good vibes.

I can always count on FT Lukens for an abundance of cute and heartwarming tropes no matter the story! This one is about star crossed lovers—one a nonbinary skeptic and the other a handsome supernatural being that they absolutely do not believe in. Nor do they have a crush on him. Nope.

Otherworldly by F. T. Lukens, 352 pages. Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon and Schuster), 2024. $20.
Language: R (22 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Winter began five years ago and then never turned to spring. With the farm failing, Ellery (17yo) had to move and work in the city while her parents continued to foolishly petition the goddess. When a regular at the diner Ellery works at runs her over, he introduces himself as Knox, a magical familiar that serves the goddess Ellery no longer believes in—and he needs her help.
The magic and mythological creatures are the most interesting parts of the story. Most of the characters are flat, and the story was more about Ellery and Knox’s growing relationship than about solving the winter issue. While I was expecting more from the story than fluff romance, Lukens did the fluff romance well, and the conclusion was satisfying.
Ellery and Knox are described as “pale,” Zada is described as having “dark brown” skin, Lorelei is described as having “golden brown” skin, and the goddess is described as having “olive” skin. Charley and Zada are part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, innuendo, and sexual harassment. The violence rating is for blood, assault, and fantasy violence.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Otherworldly follows teen Ellery, who has moved to the city to work and help their family financially in the wake of a years-long perpetual winter that has shut down their farm, as they are swept up in the world of the supernatural after a fateful encounter with the liminal familiar Knox.

F.T. Lukens has this incredible ability to craft a snappy, compelling fantasy world and story in an incredibly slim number of pages, and Otherworldly is yet another example of this skill. Though we are thrust headlong into a world of gods, goddesses, shades, and more, it was so easy to quickly settle into the world, and every new bit of information we received about it felt organic and natural, and was perfectly situated in the plot to where I rarely felt like I was slogging through infodumping. On top of that, Lukens can craft a character! I fell in love with Ellery and Knox almost immediately, and they kept me glued to the page as their adventure ensued. I laughed, I swooned, I cried a little bit. It was an excellent experience.

I'm dead serious when I say no one is doing it like F.T. Lukens, and while a quick and sweet fantastical YA romance may not be everyone's cup of tea, it absolutely is mine. Otherworldly was such a joy to read and I cannot wait to see what else they have in store!

This was my second book by F.T.Lukens and the five star streak continues with this one. The thing I love the most about the books are the character interactions. There is something about Lukens characters talking to each other that pulls your heartstrings. I loved how the conversation between Ellery and Knox played out. One of the things I love about YA is how the stories rely completely on chemistry and compionship and Otherworldly doesn't disappoints.

The other thing that hits the mark with this one is found family and importance of platonic love. With Ellery's cousin Charley and her gf Zada being the guardian figures for both Ellery and Knox, Otherworldly is easily one of the best queer stories of 2024.

There were parts of this story that felt slow at first but once it got going I was fully in. I loved all the magic/mythical creatures and Ellery as a whole. Near the end of the book I was humming Hadestown songs becausw or the vibes so that's definitely a bonus. Thw writing is really detailed and well done. I liked the switching between Knox and Ellerys povs, that really allowed us to understand both characters deeply.

This was my first book by FT Lukens, even if I do own almost all their other books (you have to excuse me, I buy books when I am depressed), and I was really worried that I might not like it. Thank the gods and goddesses that was not the case.

The book does start a bit slow and I struggled to get into the setting, I think it was in part because I was under the impression that this story takes place in our world but based on how cool certain characters were with nymphs and magic I am going to assume it´s a slightly different universe.

My favorite parts were the characters, both Knox with his child-like excitement for the human world, and Ellery with their no-nonsense personality, were relatable and lovable. Charley and Zada are an amazing duo and really manage to prove once again that queer people just stick together! A queer found family never fails to impress me!!

At the end of the day, this is a cozy read, perfect to make your heart warm and fuzzy with kicking-my-feet romance, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy fun read!

First off, I just love the artwork for FT Lukens books. They catch my attention very easily and are so magical that I want to read them even without knowing what the story is about. Otherworldly has a great cover and the story is super sweet and fun to read as well. You have Ellery, a hard worker that had to grow up super fast to help take care of their parents and their farm when the never ending winter started. Despite the unnatural winter, Ellery is very much unbelieving of another realm and supernatural creatures in their corner of the world. The cuteness starts up when they run into (literally) a magical cute weird hot guy who also happens to be a familiar on the run from some nasty shades. You get the awkward sweet scenes interspersed with trying to figure out how to end winter and help Knox (the familiar) to finish his bucket list aka bargain he made with Ellery so that he could stay longer in the fascinating human world. You meet other magical creatures on this journey plus hang out with Ellery's awesome cousin Charley (love that name!) and her girl friend, Zada.

If you want an entertaining sweet love of a read with a bit of sadness but also a happy happy ending, and lots of magic and snow (I got so cold reading about this never ending winter!), you will have fun reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy of the book to read and review.

the coziest book about two boys falling in love in the most hilarious ways <3

i have loved every book by f.t lukens so far, they always are so fun and so cute to read, and this was no disappointment!

this book was so wholesome and cozy, the type you sit in your comfy reading corner while having your favorite drink. the world building was well done, and as usual the writing was so light and a delight to read.

the characters (always my favorite part of ft lukens books) were hilarious! we have one guy who is so grumpy and acts like he's allergic to fun, then the other guy who's so fascinated by everything human. their dynamic was hilarious to read; knox was definitely my favorite he was so flirty it had me dying. the cousin and her girlfriend were also soooo cute!!

and of course, the representation. i loved how casual everything was; there was no questioning or arguments over anything. one of the main characters uses they/them pronouns, and throughout the book it was like an already established fact that no one questioned. very refreshing.

overall, i highly recommend this book! it's an adorable ya romance about two books mixed with some magic and supernatural.

This book follows the magical adventures of Ellery and Knox, as they try to figure out the mystery behind their town’s endless winter.

I loved the queer friend group aspects and that none of the parental relationships were strained (related to gender or sexuality.) In fact, in this world gender and sexuality seem to be accepted without question.

There were some heavier topics than I’m used to in F T Lukens books. A fair bit more violence, including attempted assault, and dealing with death and the grief of death.

The characters were sweet and believable, but for some reason the romance didn’t hook me as much as past books. I actually would have preferred if it was a queer platonic pairing in the end - but still very enjoyable to read!

Representation: 5
Emotion: 3
Characters: 4
Plot: 3
Pacing: 2
Romance: 5

Overall Score: 4

Really, the first two thirds of the book was a 3, the last third of the book was a 5. The majority is kind of a slog, with a lot of mundane moments being lingered over until I was yawning half the time. I understand that Knox wanted to experience human life, and sometimes that's as simple as a slumber party, but it's not really the interesting part of the story.

But that Third Act was amazing. Lots of little things that were built upon in the first two acts proved to be important and combined together for an engaging, emotional climax.

Ellery and Knox were a cute, sweet couple, and I loved Charley and Zada as an established couple. The only thing I would complain about with the characters is that sometimes Charley's "weirdness" was just kind of being loud? But the characters would declare her "so weird" all the time.

Overall, I think it's a good cozy fantasy read, but not my favorite Lukens.