Syl

this is what i mean when I say I am a romantic... my new favorite book by a mile, my new unsurmountable standard for love.

it is deceptively hard to read in a short time by it's format, which is the very reason that it works so well and hits so hard, but despite my focus challenges (thanks adhd), I thoroughly enjoyed every moment even before it hooked me like a harpoon on a speedboat.

Gods, I thought this was a trilogy, I fear I might not have it in me to see this series to the end.

I don't like first person narratives, so reading these books is a little draining, and this frustrates when combined with Darrow's as a single figurehead who can do no wrong.

I'm here for the excellently battles and dystopian, and these are well executed.

For that reason, I was having a good time before the gambit with Cassius in the final act... it was fine after the reveal, but I ended up speeding thru the rest of the book after that. It's not that I was frustrated out of care for the charecters, this is not a series in which I get attached to the individuals, but the sheer naivety and reactions to Cassius fake-betrayal were infuriating on a narrative level.

I'd much rather have been in on the plan, as it would have made me abandon the book if I was quicker to mark as DNF. It's a potentially interesting (if a bit unbelievable) play, but Cassius's redemption didn't sell me and the seeping frustration soured an otherwise well-executed ending.

I guess it's on me to assume the series would end here, and I may come back to the series after a few months. but ugh, I going to need to detox from that ending, not just my normal break to get over the first person narration.

I'm normally averse to the concept of fate, in books and in life -> this story is an exception. It's riviting from the start, and the queer themes are also excellent. Highly recommend.

i think I've had too much therapy to enjoy these third act twists anymore

This is my second M.L. Wang book, and I put it to the top of my reading list as The Sword of Kaigen was one of my favorite books in recent memory.

The main twist behind the magic system was largely predictable... but it was still a great reveal, not for the the shock of the protagonist realizing the price of magic, but rather for the insight into the mechanics of the magic that exploits and ravages the rest of the world.

It frustrating to ride behind the eyes of Sciona, as her nativity is insufferable... but it's also realistic of a sheltered academic who hasn't ever had a connection with the Krell. Sciona isn't a hero, there isn't a magical ending where everyone survives and her legacy is pristine. I do like how the naivety of Sciona allows the unmasking of her mentor, a supposedly kindly benefactor, and to a lesser extent, the council. Maybe sans the racism and mass murder she'd be likable, but that really isn't the point. You know this as you read, but it doesn't help with the frustration as you read the first portion of the book. She doesn't get much less naive, but there is some character growth, mostly via Thomil's labor.