Despite that this took me over a month to read, it's a good book. I didn't really like Lyra much, but also I'm not exactly in the demographic for this, so it can't be helped. I never read this as a kid so I had FOMO.

I love the overall plot of the book. It's dark, it's twisted, and there are moments of reflection with Paradise Lost, which is such an interesting choice of inspiration for a children's/YA book, that I couldn't help myself but try and draw as many connections as I could between the two, though they're fairly scarce in book one, I'm told it becomes more interesting/obvious once you get into books 2 and 3. I might just read summaries of those, though. I don't know.

Besides Lyra being very much juvenile and a bit stupid (but not overly so, thank heavens), I did really enjoy the other characters, especially Farder Coram and Mrs. Coulter (who I loved to hate). Serafina was interesting but I think the witches in this are like the angels in Paradis Lost; disconnected from Earth and Earthly things, but with their own laws and concerns.

I definitely recommend for fans of dark fantasy, alternate Catholic fiction, and trilogies.