I've mentioned in past reviews how much I love mythology, but before Crux, I'd never actually read anything to do with the Nordic variety, but that didn't keep me from loving it. :D It wasn't just the Nordic mythology that made me love this story...no there were plenty of things! :D The characters, the plot, the intricacy of this story, and the writing itself were all things that kept me reading until the last page, the very last word...and then kept me hoping that there just may be more to come (psst...after I interviewed Julie Reece for Crux's blog tour, she said she's considering expanding Crux into a series, so yay!! YAY! :D I really really really hope she does!...okay, I've calmed down a bit now and can continue. :P). :D 
 First, I just have to say that the characters were amazing! I'm a pretty character-driven reader, and Crux had amazing characters throughout! :D I just have to say that I absolutely loved Birdie. I wasn't sure about her nickname, but as I read more of the story, it definitely suited her, and it really grew on me. I also loved her strength, her compassion, and her kindness. She'd been through so much, and yet she never let her past bring her down. She still thought it was important to help others. She was a bit closed off because she tried to keep her distance from others to protect herself and them, and I could totally understand why she did it. Birdie had an extremely difficult childhood, not the worst (as she points out herself), but definitely one that was hard, and when even more crazy stuff started happening in her life...that reluctance to connect with others seemed pretty reasonable. That being said, I was extremely glad when she opened up and let people in...especially Grey. I'm extremely happy about Grey. *dreamy sigh* 
 Now that I've mentioned Grey, it's the perfect segue to mention him all on his own. First, love, love...LOVE his name! :D I've never thought of Grey as a first name before, but I absolutely love it...and I won't lie, it's pretty sexy. Not only does he have a sexy name, but he's smart, funny, kind, persistent (and thank goodness for that! ;D), and so much more! The boy sounds absolutely gorgeous too, which seriously doesn't hurt...and he can sing! I'm a bit of a sucker for singers...I tend to swoon if I like a guy's voice...and I can tell that Grey would totally make me swoon. All in all, Grey is amazing! Seriously, he's amazing, and I loved him with Birdie! They're an amazing pair, as friends, as partners...and as much, much more. You'll seriously love their banter, chemistry, and the tension...these two have some serious tension; delicious tension that is. ;) 
 Okay, so I've totally talked up Birdie and Grey, but I haven't really talked about the story much, have I? Well, I will now. :P Crux was amazing! That's as straightforward as it gets. Julie Reece has written a captivating story that will draw you in, and will keep you trying to put the pieces all together. There's a lot of mystery surrounding the story because Birdie's past is pretty much unknown, even to her. She has no family, and knows nothing of her heritage, so when she ends up with a necklace that leads to her uncovering a twisted history tracing back to her ancestors, she's a bit skeptical at first. With the help of a few other characters though, Birdie learns about her destiny, and the dark legacy her ancestors left behind. Will she be able to achieve what countless ancestors before her have failed to do? Well...I'm obviously not going to tell you if she does, nor am I going to tell you what it is that she has to do, but I will tell you that it is an amazing journey to follow her on, and you'll enjoy every single moment. :)