Iris and Malina are twins, and their family has a magical ability to ‘gleam’ – manipulate ordinary things into art. But their mother has always insisted that they keep their abilities secret, and that they never fall in love.
This story is set in Montenegro, and I really liked the descriptions of their home city and the surrounding mountains. The magical part of the story also has Slavic roots, and it’s nice to see something less Western European in influence.
The story does get a little intense in the YA angst, but it’s not the worst I’ve read, and the twists when they finally meet their family were interesting. I was a little annoyed by the ending, but it does set things up for an interesting finale.