Gear up, I have THOUGHTS. 

First of all: as sad as I am to say this, Bryce definitely is not the glorious badass she was in the first book. And now Hunt isn’t who he was in the first two books. It’s kind of devastating to see him reduced to being this at-times whiny sad sack. I understand that he feels guilt and shame for the things he has been a part of and made to do, but he seems to completely lose sight of himself for most of the book. As soon as he and Bryce are reunited, their arguments with each other don’t make sense. He’s blaming himself for absolutely everything happening, and the debate comes up at random, nonsensical times. There’s no logic to when they start up again, which isn’t necessarily unrealistic, but Hunt’s refusal to let anyone else take the blame for things that were not his fault, then sudden acceptance that he was manipulated again makes no sense. 

Speaking of Hunt, even though I guessed his backstory at the end of book one, the reveal is so… unsatisfactory. Unless we get a series about Hel (which I would read the hell out of, pun intended), I don’t think I’ll find it as anything but flat. 

The book starting with Bryce in the world of ACOTAR also feels off. It’s a great idea, and I do like that Maas is connecting her universes. But her petulant attitude feels like character assassination. I was so worried about it going into the second and third books… and I didn’t realise it would devastate another universe I care about in the process, which makes it hurt more. I DO love the hints of the TOG connection, though. 

Bryce (and a lot of the other characters) feel a lot less mature in this book. I felt that in the second one, as well. But Bryce previously came off as irreverent, and here she just feels childish. The crossover stuff honestly reads like fan fiction. However, I am desperate to know what happened with Nesta, Cassian, Ember and Randall. I need to read about their time becoming best friends/family. 

Other things: The sex scenes continue to be cringy. Tharion is intensely annoying. Lidia is a goddess and I love her. She makes the most sense to me out of all the other characters in this book, and her arc is fabulous. She is really the best part of the book for me. 

Overall, it was another interesting and diverting excursion into a world I find fascinating, though the sci-FI elements seem a bit forced. I also really want to know more about what happens with Sitha and Ariadne and their stories, but I assume the next book will continue with that, whenever it comes out. I just would really not enjoy an entire book centered around Tharion.