This is my second read of the book and I previously rated it a 5/5.

This time I have to dock some marks as I read all the secret projects again back-to-back this time, and this felt like the second weakest of the four books (1. Yumi, 2. Tress, 3. Sunlit, 4. Frugal Wizard). Its funny, it's funny how your memeries can distort over time, I used to think this was my favourite secret project book, but now it's changed to Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.

The Sunlit Man did a lot of interesting things, had some great characters, an interesting world and some awesome character development. I enjoyed the dynamics between the characters, much more than I did in Yumi, however the biggest fuck up in terms of character was The Cinder King. He was the most lazy, one-dimensional villain I've read in a while. You barely know anything about him, there's no effort to make you understand him any more than he's insecure and loves power.

I enjoyed Elegy's character arc, her dynamic with Nomad was very unique and interesting, it felt like an old war veteran trying to help rehabilitate and coach someone who'd got back from a war and was struggling to adjust to civilised society without a battle to fight. I thought it was beautiful and very cathartic for Nomad, as it he was not just healing her, but also himself.

Rebeke was interesting enough, someone who'd been in her sisters shadow for so long and was never even resentful of it. After her sister was "gone", she was felt like and was treated like a cousin of a famous person, some remnant of greatness, not their own person. It was lovely seeing her come out of her shell and find her own place in this world.

Aux was my favourite, for someone without emotion or feeling, he sure had plenty of personality. His character was akin to depictions we've seen of someone who'd lost their way somehere down the road of life after suffering a tragedy, and the ghost of someone they know is there, talking to them, pitying who they are, understanding it, but trying their best to support them and hoping some semblance of who they are comes back one day. In this scenario, Nomad is the lost soul, and Aux is his ghost.

Nomad was a very interesting character for me, I felt him deeply. His story was akin to depictions of immortals hundreds or thousands of years old, who grow tired of life, but must keep going on, keep moving, because they've no choice, and they avoid connections because they've seen so much death and destruction of those they care about. That felt very much like Nomad for me. Except in this case, he's (maybe) not mourning someone he has cared for (apart from Aux I mean), but more for the man he used to be. He's full of so much shame and self-hatred and tries to convince himself he's not that man anymore and tries to not care, but he does, deep down.

I very much loved the characters in this book, but alas where it falls short, is the world itself.
This book might have been the best if the secret Projects of the world was given more effort in its descriptions and immersion, but it just didn't feel much like a living breathing world to me. I can't quite place what felt off here, but I look back on the other three books and all of their settings felt alive to me, even Frugal Wizard.

If the world was given more treatment and care, and felt as immersive as the other books, this book would have been tied with Yumi for me, but the world is indeed interesting, just needed a bit more.