Has Audrey Rose always been this dense? Because for an allegedly very clever heroine, she fails to pick up on a lot of pretty obvious clues. I really don’t know what she’d do without Thomas — although she’s the narrator, he’s the one who really carries the narrative with his charm and occasional displays of emotion. (The one place she really contributes is their banter, which at least was still delightful.) Though the setting is old-fashioned, his particular brand of chivalry is very modern: respectful, built on equality rather than benevolent sexism.

I was also hoping we wouldn’t be subjected to an actual love triangle, as I started the book thinking how relatively rare it is for a YA pairing to become an established couple more than halfway through the series, and was disappointed. Mephistopheles never really grew on me, as a character or as a love interest, nor did many of the other characters; I know his whole deal was the mystery and social isolation, but the distance persists even as Audrey Rose gets a better idea of who he is.

The plot was alright, though again I found myself less invested than I hoped. Even the historical references in this installment are not as strong as in previous books, considering just how much creative license was taken (and acknowledged in the author’s note). It was an alright read, but pretty forgettable.