A very worthwhile sequel to The Tainted Cup, which I have only come to like more over time. In this book I had a much easier time following the cast of characters, old and new, and could appreciate the layered world-building as we got to see and understand more of how this universe works. It's such an interesting setting and easily lends itself to some gruesome body horror scenes that add to the tension of the mystery. 

I did manage to solve the mystery this time, which had felt impossible in the last book due to how much of a struggle I had telling the characters apart with the audiobook. The names were more distinct this time, so the audiobook experience was clearer. I also had a much better sense of the stakes and felt the weight on the characters as they dealt with all the twists and turns.

I really enjoyed the character development between Din and Ana. As I have said before, my favorite Sherlock Holmes adaptations are the ones that treat the Watson character respectfully and don't sideline them too much. The dynamic of having Din be Ana's literal eyes (and ears, and hands, and more) during the investigation keeps the audience close to the clues and invested in the more grounded characters. Ana's strange, almost alien behavior at times makes her leaps of logic easier to accept but also easier to follow, since you have all the same information she does. 

Mild spoilers:

I was a little worried that like in Sherlock Holmes stories, once Moriarty's character shows up I actually become way less interested because it only drags the story further away from the audience as it becomes a battle between two super-intelligent entities and the Watson just kind of stands watches from a distance. This book had no such issue and allows Din to contribute greatly to actually solving the mystery even though the foe they are following seems to have a heightened intelligence like Ana's. That being said, I do not think we have actually met this series's version of Moriarty yet.