Every Gift a Curse (All Our Hidden Gifts)

O'Donoghue's Gifts series are maybe my favourite YA novels ever - and I've read a lot. At turns hilarious, tragic, wise and magical, the story of Maeve, Lily, Roe and Fiona ends in "Every Gift A Curse" and my god, do they go out with a bang.Plot-wise, this brings us right back to where The Gifts That Bind Us left off, so it's definitely not a standalone novel; it took me a little while to remember who was who, and what was what, but once we were off, WOW were we off - Every Gift A Curse has a propulsive, expansive and at times downright terrifying plot that weaves together the magical elements of the story with the real terror - growing up. The core four are approaching adulthood, and this threatens to split them apart, something Maeve, our POV character and all-round tiny baby who must be protected, struggles with. Her friends are going on to bigger, better things and she feels as though she's stuck. And then - BAM - she starts blinding people with white-hot rage. What's Happening To Maeve is the most fascinating mystery the book posits in a book full of them, and when the big reveal comes... well, I'll be honest, I had to lie down for a bit.I can't praise this series - and this novel - enough. O'Donoghue, already an excellent writer, weaves together her complex plot with deeply satisfying results, making Every Gift A Curse hard to put down. Peppered with pop culture references - Bo Burnham! I screamed! - she also uses Irish folklore, legend and tarot magic to create something utterly spellbinding. So many fantasy novels excel at lore but fail when it comes to characters, but The Gifts series is not one of them. O'Donoghue is able to craft complex and compelling characters that you will care deeply for. The "core four" (an excellent Buffy refeence in the text that made me smile) feel like little pals, or younger siblings, to me now, and I am not ashamed to say I shed a little tear as I tore through the final pages.In short: my babies are all grown up,. I can't wait to read the trilogy back-to-back when my pre-order arrives, the easiest 5 stars I've given in some time.