"The glass pumpkins, in all those violets and greens and blues, had shattered like the stained glass coffin. And the little shards were floating up, like snow the sky was taking back. They were studding the stars with their jewelled light. A deep autumn of glass constellations, like the summer of Aracely's arrival among those hundred thousand golden wings. All these broken pieces, becoming a hundred thousand unmapped stars" 
 What an absolutely stunning novel. 
 'When the Moon was Ours' is a beautifully written and exquisitely crafted novel that tells a tale of love, belonging, acceptance and identity. A story of friendship. A story of a strange girl who spilled out of a water tower when she was five, a girl with roses growing from her wrist. A story of a quiet, uncertain boy who hangs painted moons in trees to light the darkness. 
 While this style of narrative will perhaps not be for everyone, entrenched in the realm of magical realism and written with a deeply evocative, poetic and descriptive prose it is richly imagined and brilliantly diverse. It is slow and detailed, beautifully symbolic and almost entirely focused on thoughtful character development. There is a reflective quality to the writing, drawing on both Pakistani and Latino mythology and culture with vivid imagery and beautiful metaphors. I fell in love with the writing, the flawlessly magical atmosphere and the beautiful, heartbreaking prose. 
 There is such beautiful diversity in this book, including Pakistani and Latina as well as transgender and queer representation that is so perfectly incorporated into the story in a way that felt authentic and heartfelt. Honestly, everything about this book felt perfect and deeply personal. It is clear that this was a labor of love for the author, and this passion is reflected in every single line. 
 Highly recommend.