On one hand, I hate how STRESSFUL this series is. No one can be happy here. The realities and atrocities of war are here and constant. A particular double woman-child sacrifice was tough to read, but it showed how some people will do anything for power and the all-consuming nature of unstoppable violence. Some of the characters are even forced to seek help from foes or other vile humans.

And yet I can’t put this series down. I have come to enjoy these characters (Harper, Helene, Elias, etc) a lot though Laia can be irrational, often. But her heart is in the right place. I want more of Darin now that he FINALLY got his junk together. While Elias was seriously slacking at his job for 3/4s of the book, his new struggle with humanity and stoicness has my interest.

These novels are thick, but each one has been an easy reading experience. This dark, violent, and tragic mess of a story is enthralling. Everything's not perfect, but I want to read more.