Wow wow WOW! I'm going to be completely honest, you guys. I never thought a book in the "Read Now" category on Netgalley would ever amount to more than an 8/10 for me, because I thought it was lesser-quality works that make it there (I've had almost all positive experiences with it so far, so I've been proven wrong for sure), but this? This is my favorite book I've read from Netgalley's "Read Now" section, and one of the best books in general I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

It's crazy, because this is probably the slowest book I've ever read, there are large gaps between plot beats, it's extremely character-driven, it is leisurely descriptive and it's historical fiction (though not to the point where the time period becomes its own character and takes over the story, if that makes sense, so I didn't mind). All things that usually make me enjoy a book less, but I loved each and every aspect of those things here. There really is an exception to every rule.

The concept of one of the main characters having an ability that helps soothe pain just by placing his hand near the center of it and then growing to wish he didn't have that ability so he could live a normal life is very interesting, but the fact that that's only a small part of the story and there are actually a lot of different cogs in this story machine??? Amazing!! From the opening chapter it feels like you are in the hands of a master author who knows how to weave pure, high-quality storytelling. He didn't need any tricks or gimmicks, just a novel-length organically-unraveling sequence of events, of life, and of a heartwarming friendship.

I remained completely engrossed and emotionally invested in this story the whole time, and even though it took me a couple weeks to read through it, I feel like maybe it was best that way so I could really sit in it and savor it. This is the first book in a long while where I felt genuinely bummed to be done with it. One of the biggest surprises I've ever encountered in my reading journey, and undoubtedly a lifetime favorite. 9/10

P.S.: I WILL be buying a physical copy.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC

I really liked this book. The characters were unique and the story line was novel. I liked the various struggles of the characters and absolutely loved the ending.

This was a wonderfully done novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to know David Monk through this book. I was invested in what was going on and thought the overall feel worked with the genre. Henry D. Terrell has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this.

I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up, and honestly, it really surprised me in a good way. This is such an emotional and thought-provoking story.
David’s power to heal without touching is fascinating but also a huge burden, especially with the pressure from his family and community. His friendship with Walter, a musical prodigy with his own struggles, is at the heart of the story, and I loved how their bond was both powerful and messy.
The pacing was a little slow at times, but the themes of being different, dealing with the past, and finding your true self made it really worth sticking with.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the chance to read this one!

Final rating 3.7/5 stars rounded up to 4