Okay, so I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this entry in the Ravenels series, and I was so pleasantly surprised. Pandora has always seemed young throughout the series, and clearly neurodivergent, but in her own books she seems much more relatable in a “never felt like a grownup even when you are” way. And aside from being seriously AuDHD-coded, she suffers from deafness/tinnitus in one ear and vertigo. Gabriel is a little too good to be true, but I loved him, and their relationship was just delightful.

My one complaint would be a slight lack of plot… until the absolute insanity of the third act drama. It’s tonally a strange swerve for the story, and is very clearly just there to set up the story for the next book, focusing on kickass lady-doctor Garrett and previously barely introduced Inspector Ransom (totally his real name). I love her already, so I’m excited for their book, but I didn’t need it to encroach on this one quite so much.