I've never read any HP Lovecraft, so I expect a lot of the flavor in this book was lost on me. I did enjoy it a lot more than I thought I would. Aphra and her confluence are all very likable characters, and even the villains have some depth to them. The concept of multiple human subspecies was fun, as was the idea of the Yith. I loved the themes of tolerance, forgiveness, and finding family where you can. It has a very leisurely pace, and there's not many big action scenes. Not quite sure about the religious aspects - Aphra prays to gods but for a while I wasn't sure if they take any direct action in this world, or if the magic is separate from them. Later on we get another character who can make spells so that answered that. No cliffhanger ending but definitely space to move on with the story, so I'll be waiting for the next.
A neat followup to Lovecraft that envisions actually living in a world where those ancient and terrifying forces exist, and interact with our world and its equally terrifying concerns. Both loving of the source and critical of its flaws, Emrys writes clearly and smoothly and gives a satisfying conclusion.
