My 250th read of ‘21! And man, was it INCREDIBLE! OMG! Such a dark witchy story, & I loved every minute. Every part of this was so phenomenal, & I need more MG from this author immediately lol. Zita is an amazing character. Her humor & whit were on point. She was so brave, & had already been through so much in her short life. All she ever wanted was a home & a family. And when she gets it-it’s not exactly what she imagined. Lol She is forever grateful for everything though, no matter what Mrs. Cantanker throws at her, & she remains humble. She is fast friends with the 2 servants(Minnifer & Bram)who are also orphans. Zita just steals your heart, & you root for her so hard the whole way. Minnifer & Bram are also such great side characters. I loved them, especially Minnifer. She cracked me up. The villain is terrifying & infuriating. Brilliantly written. I wanted to hit her myself lol. She is the epitome of what jealousy, envy, & bitterness can do to you. Vikers has my heart. Love that bird. Such superb writing as well. It just wraps around you, & pulls you in from the start. So atmospheric-with the castle, the woods, the ghosts, the characters, the magic, the curse, & the vivid writing that brings it all to life. So many creative details too! From the blue stairs, dragon stairs, the tree, the secret room, the talking diary, & the triggles to name a FEW amazing things. Great messages/themes on belonging, family, friendship, kindness, & doing what’s right. Such a spooky, hauntingly beautiful story. Creepy & heartwarming at the same time-brilliant! Highly recommend! Stunning cover by the Balbusso Twins too!