I'm not crying - you're crying. 
 El amor es ciego. 
 Love is blind. 
 This book is just beyond all my expectations - it's been an incredible, beautiful, heartbreaking read. Anna-Marie McLemore has just cemented her position in my authors to read religiously - what an incredible debut novel. 
 Where to start? Well, the premise of the book is the age old forbidden love. Loosely based on Romeo and Juliet - there are two show families that are rival acts. The Palomas who were beautiful mermaids, marked by a scale birthmark and the Corbeaus, of French descent who owned the trees as fairies, or birds, and who grew black feathers under their hair. For two decades these families have been warring - what started as a fierce rivalry in the show circuit turned deadly and now the families will never touch each other except to hit and kick. 
 Both families are deeply rooted in superstition and old traditions. The Palomas believe the Corbeaus to be magia negra - black magic - and one touch can cause death. 
 When our heroine, Lace, is saved by our hero, Cluck we are drawn into a world of deep and complicated family ties. Where the slightest and oldest forms of magic are weaved into a modern world. This book really teaches you about the origins of hate and of love. The family connections are complicated and lovely, sharp as razor wire. 
 There are so many things about this book which are just done wonderfully. So well for a debut author. McLemore hasn't fallen into the very tempting trap of making something bigger than it is. Everything is small, delicate, understated but crafted with words that are pulsing and aching. You get so swallowed by the feelings and emotions of this book. And there is a twist at the end, a twist so brilliant and well hidden I was sobbing into my couch. 
 El que quiera azul celeste, que le custe. 
 He who wants the sky must pay. 
 Cluck and Lace may just be my new favorite characters. Cluck especially. They both are reminiscent of Maggie Stiefvater's Puck and Sean from The Scorpio Races. In fact, I would say that style wise McLemore is in the same vein of Stiefvater. Her writing is just as poignant, prone to beautiful hyperbole and her story is a mixture of old folk lore and new technologies. I would also recommend her to fans of Courtney Summers (This Is Not a Test) and E. LockhartE.Lockhart (We Were Liars). It has a similar style of verse, simple sentences turned so touching you want to cry. 
 Do yourself a favor and read this book.