This story, steeped with the many varied beliefs, myths, and superstitions of several cultures living in 1930s Malaya (now Malaysia), is richly evocative and nuanced with an ethereal quality to the story. Mystery, magic, and amazing world building, this is a sure-to-please read.

Usually, I open my reviews stating whether I liked a book or not, but I'm not sure I can do that for this one. Like (or dislike for that matter) is just not the right word for it. Captivating, compelling, engrossing, illuminating -- it was all of those things.

This book was just okay for me. Generally, most of the books I've read that had that coveted Reese's Book Club sticker on the cover, I have straight up loved, flipping pages long past my bed time, spending way too much daylight reading them. But while the premise of this story intrigued me, the story itself seemed to be just as confused as the one of our heroines, Margot.

Smart writing, relatable situations, and humor define this book about the different types of relationships we have...and the things that really matter in life.

I loved With the Fire On High so much that when I saw this book become available at my library, I jumped on it. I will admit that reading poetry was not something I was looking forward to. I like my poetry to rhyme and this wasn't that, but it had rhythm, and while at first reading the lines could feel a bit choppy, the emotion that the words and rhythm evoked just cut me to the quick.