This was definitely my least favorite book in the series. I unfortunately read Goldenhand first by mistake but it doesn’t change much and I was still able to read this book without much being spoiled. Still, this book was the hardest to get into of the series and it took me months to finish. Clariel isn’t a very like able character as she’s angry and selfish. What’s worse is nearly every character around her is insufferable and selfish. Bel is one of the few interesting characters and there isn’t enough of him. The ending seems oddly rushed and isn’t very satisfying. Also, putting a dragon on the cover was a big mislead since the dragon has all of five pages in the book. Now this doesn’t mean the book didn’t have any redeeming qualities. Some of the lore and demons that were revealed were fun and interesting and Mogget was, as usual, a gem. I’d still suggest you read it if you like the series but I’d warn you that it’s very different than the other books and imho the main character is a far cry from the other Old Kingdom characters. Also, it seems like Clariel is either asexual or demisexual which I appreciated for representation, though I think it is unclear if Nix meant her to be an asexual (and unfortunately ties her sexuality to her rejection of hetero love and therefore goodness) or if she is demisexual in which case it seems fine. It’s hard to explain why the asexual situation might be seen as a negative without spoiling book events, sorry. I don’t know which situation is canon but she is definitely queer it would seem which is neat, though I hope the negative interpretation doesn’t apply.