The Brittened Crown

Greg:a palimpsest of desire and terror and confusion lingered on his face
me: yes

so much for being a native English speaker when i'm whipping out the dictionary every other page. i don't recall these words showing up on wordmasters challenges back in my day (as if i knew the ones that did show up lol).

jokes aside, writing this review means that there is one last book left in GA's backlist for me to read, and the stark reality of that statement has just settled in my bones with mute resignation. while it's a lot to keep up with, i'm so gosh darn thankful Greg is as prolific as he is. his books are like a nice, steamy bowl of noodle soup when you're feeling under the weather, and i don't think i can last more than a few weeks without a booster dose.

back to the story at hand... i know, i know: “Alyssa gave only three stars to a GA book, say what?!” i personally consider it the weakest thus far, mainly because the interpersonal conflicts didn't deliver to the potential that i am used to from him, and there was a very specific event that didn't sit well with me. in a surprise twist of fate, i even found myself liking a certain character often mentioned in the same sentence as a sauce associated with mashed potatoes more so than the rest of our ensemble at some parts. color me shocked!

to avoid accidentally spoiling peeps, i'll be leaving my “story so far” and other points under a spoiler tag. you have been warned!

~~~ spoilers incoming ~~~...

our squad may be fragmented, stuck together with a few slapped-on, loose strips of masking tape, but the squad is back no less! and holy nuggets, with the whole squad in tow, this adventure sure reached epic proportions.as we've seen in the previous book, we have another multiple (beyond the standard two) pov structure. as much as i enjoy camping in various minds and watching parallel timelines develop concurrently and their eventual collision, i find this comes with its own set of risks, the biggest of which is that the allotted time given to each interpersonal conflict isn't enough for a proper evolution and resolution. i wouldn't be surprised if my expectations were set too high, but the relationships - platonic and romantic, though more the latter in this case - didn't quite hit the beats i was hoping for the pairings to knock out of the park. the constant pov switcheroos and resultant lack of on-page conversations made for a weak understanding of the characters and their motivations, and my investment in their quest occasionally faltered.which leads me to my most controversial take: Irene and Cian the way they are is waaay too toxic. i don't know how else to describe their relationship - they're in dire need of couple's therapy AND individual therapy, and their passive aggressive schtick has to stop because it breeds nothing but contempt. the scene that shocked / repulsed me in equal measure was when Irene essentially used Cian - who was deeply intoxicated at the time, mind you - to impregnate herself based on a ghost's advice