This book is good. It has Jenkins's subtle touch that just puts her a level above the average other author in the sphere or in the genre but it gets a little fantastical at the end. The resolution is weak. The book's strongest points are its atmosphere and the way it pulls you into this unique scene. The work with the backstory is fantastic and is the book's strongest narrative point.
As we pen to the present day, the characters, while compelling, are slightly one-dimensional. The plot moves in ways that belie the agency of those said characters. At its core this fun beach read goes a little too dark too quickly and then struggles as it tries to first unwind itself from that darkness of its central premise. As it seeks to resolve itself, because its most compelling part is that central darkness, it meanders its way and unravels a lot of the positive character development in its race to resolve the book in as few pages as possible.
I think this book probably could have benefited from being a duology and maybe splitting up the rise (no pun intended) and the fall of the characters. Instead it ironically and punnily enough ebbs and flows like a wave and doesn't deliver. Especially that party scene at the end is just far too long. The character that's introduced all the way at the end as a sort of foil to the main narrative is frigid at best and a poor decision at worst.
Yeah an overall enjoyable read. This book fulfills the genre nicely and satisfyingly but it's cleverer than it actually is at its core.