This book very clearly starts a new stage in the series while building up on the plot threads from the first five novels. There’s a big structural change here in terms of switching to dual POV, which helps slightly recontextualize everything that’s happened in the series so far and generally brings a sense of novelty into the narrative. Certain problems that plagued the characters for a big part of the series are shown very firmly as resolved as everyone moves on into the new stages of their lives, but new ones still stem from the events that happened before and the characters still bring all the baggage into these new stages. Narrative decisions are made that feel repetitive at first, but they go into new directions. It’s still the continuation of the same overarching story, but like, if this were a tv show, we’d definitely be in a new season, and that "new season" energy is palpable from the start.

The one thing that immediately stuck out to me early on, even in the middle of all the sadness of the first chapter where Griffin tried to start processing his adopted father’s death, was how Griffin FINALLY acted okay with Whyborne’s magic. FINALLY. I swear the only reason I didn’t yell “HALLELUJAH!” on the top of my lungs was because I started listening at like 2AM and it’s not the neighbors’ fault that I’d been grinding my teeth for almost the entire series waiting for this moment. This was very gratifying. I thought that maybe, just maybe, in book six I’d get to start shipping the romantic leads.

…I did not, in fact, start shipping it, which is really hilarious because I feel like it should be a given that when someone commits to an eleven-book romance series following the same couple, they should be having shippy feelings for said couple, AND YET. I adore everything about this series except for the romance. I grudgingly tolerate the romance and accept that the characters are in love, satisfied with their sex life, and absolutely great for each other in a crisis. Like, when it comes to pulling each other from the brink, giving pep talks during the dark nights of the soul, making grand gestures and declarations in the face of near-existential threats? Sure, they have some absolutely amazing moments there, the kind that often stay to live rent-free in my mind despite my overall lukewarm feelings on the couple. But when it comes to the day-to-day, meh. We get stuff like Griffin conspiring with Christine to not let Whyborne know about certain hardships that await them in Alaska beforehand because “that way we’ll only have to listen to his complaints when we get there, not during the journey” (WTF, Christine, I expected better from you!) and numerous other small moments that make me feel sort of iffy. *Especially* now that we get Griffin’s POV to add to Whyborne’s. 

As much as I’m blah on Griffin as Whyborne’s partner/husband, though, I’ve really come to like him as a character on his own. He’s got such an amazing arc in this book, dealing with grief, internalized homophobia, past trauma, the unexpected supernatural consequences of past trauma, and more, and I’m really happy we get to witness it through his own eyes. His personal journey was my favorite aspect of the book, though I’ve also greatly enjoyed all the other central character arcs. Whyborne’s come such a long way! Truly the epitome of a badass bookworm now 💖 And I love Christine with her drives, and the blunders she makes but then apologize for, and her sense of humor, and her romance arc with Iskander (that one moment when Whyborne and she were stranded underground and she opened up to him about her worries and doubts, I nearly teared up). And Iskander, facing all the changes and adjusting his world views, and so in love with Christine, and just—I really hope he’ll continue to become a more and more prominent presence through the rest of the series, he’s such a great guy.

When it comes to the plot, I felt it unfolded too slowly in the first half, with the characters meandering and not catching important clues. Admittedly, all of them had reasons for those brain farts: Griffin was in the middle of a reunion with his brother and his mind was full of all sorts of other things, Whyborne tried to hold his own in an unfamiliar environment he wasn’t suited or prepared for, and Christine was caught up in the prospect of a great new archeological discovery. But still, I kept wanting to nudge them along. Also, for a while there the whole deal felt like a rehash/mash-up of two earlier books, Threshold and Necropolis. But that feeling of repetitiveness disappeared once shit started really hitting the fan, because the familiar concepts were unfolding so differently. I loved the continued theme of monsters not being inherently evil and how all species can be monsters to each other, and I really liked how the Jake storyline played out. Also, excuse me, the new worldbuilding details? That new faction? Whyborne’s cousins’ plotting? I am now SO looking forward to the rest of the series!

Oh, and speaking of things I’m looking forward two: I really hope that at one point there’ll be a book super focused on the museum Whyborne and Christine work at, because with every glimpse of it I love the crazy plce more and more. The librarians especially, what is even the deal with them, give me more librarians.