I really enjoyed half of this book, but the other half annoyed me to no end. I think that the portrayal of Katrina as a homeless, trans, violin prodigy willing to sell her soul for a scrap of dignity is extremely well done, realistic, and poignant. However, Lan the donut lady/alien refugee mom was so flat and dull that it inhibited the whole story for me. From the non-sensical romantic aspects to her frequent disregard for her children, I just could not get into her storyline at all, especially not mashed together with soul stealing demons. Aoki is great at writing about food for sure, but the overall conceit of the book is just not for me.
January 8, 2022