2nd read (June 18, 2025)

The pacing of the story was different than what I'm used to. It felt more like how a TV show would be, in that this book was made up of a bunch of smaller story arcs that each had their own rising action, climax and falling action. That's the case for most books, but in this one I could put a line between them, since they all had clear conclusions. And yet they still all contributed to the larger story arc. Which I also imagine would contribute to the larger arc of the whole series.

I appreciated having all these separate arcs. Each arc gave me as the reader dedicated time to meet each character, and have each of them develop a unique relationship with Fitz. It felt like a collection of short stories, but not exactly, since each arc was more entwined than that.

While reading this, I found myself highlighting parts I felt were foreshadowing, or that I had questions about, and coming back to them when I had answers or new theories. There are so many mysteries in this book, some answered in this book and some still left hanging, which made it feel like an interactive experience for me, since I generally enjoy identifying those questions and making theories as to what the answers could be.

This is kind of a rambly review, but in general, I did enjoy this book, and I'm excited to move on to the rest of the series to see how these mysteries unfold.