Sam (thoughtsontomes) said it best – this is just a bunch of precious nerds, trying their very best! Although I was not as drawn in by Séverin as a character as much as I would have hoped to be, the remainder of the cast really made up for the lack of depth I felt from him. I am 100% in love with Hypnos and with Zofia – I will be picking up the next book to reconnect with the two of them alone!

What makes this book such a good time is the complex, intense friendship and found family elements. This band of misfits need each other to survive, both figuratively and literally – and I love that. On top of that, we have queer, neurodivergent and biracial rep, a killer heist, a cool science based magic system and underlying themes of colonialization… what more could you want?