Terciel and Elinor

Thankfully for my enjoyment of this book, I did not know it was marketed as a romance. It's in there and certain parts of the story would weird if it was not, but that is not the driving force of this novel. It's about growing up and deciding what kind of life you want. It also a strong theme in regards to who raises you vs. who your biological parent is. ( Elinor's designated adults are better than Terciel's. Just saying.) I didn't do stats on this book or anything, but you will most likely end the book feeling like you know Elinor better than you Terciel. Her chapters feel more open and you can see her making choices more clearly. I should emphasize: I have complaints but overall I enjoyed this book in large part because I enjoy this series. I know it is prequel but I would advise new readers to at least read the original trilogy first.
What I liked:
I love the Abhorsen house every time it shows up.
I appreciate seeing Mogget through the ages and how the different Abhorsens treat him
There were fun easter eggs connected to other book, I noticed Clariel the most because I had read it recently.
All the references to literature/ plays
What I didn't like:
What romance there is, feels like its at 10% too fast because the book spends too much time doing other stuff. Which is weird, given the book title.
I always want them to spend more time in death or use the bells more. If I wrote fanfic the frustrations this book caused me would be a great jumping off point.
I really wish a different villian had been chosen. Between that and fact that this is a prequel, some of tension just wasn't there.