— 3 stars —

I had high expectations for this one. I mean, Tessa and Catarina as nurses? WWII setting? London? Jem? The Jessa "reunion"? On the paper, it had everything to please me, but the story just fell flat for me. Nothing really happens that left me being completely in awe. It was really cute, it was an enjoyable read. But I expected so much more for this reunion, especially when set three years after

Will’s death

and given the few times they saw each other ever since.

On the other hand, and unlike the previous stories, I believe this one will have a higher importance for the rest of the Dark Artifices series.
I also really appreciated having the rest of the story of Tobias Herondale and his descendance. Catarina is an amazing character. I love her and I was glad to also have a little glimpse of the life she had after she saved the first of the lost Herondales.



I think the main issue I had with this story, and —thinking about it— with the others as well, is my deep attachment to all these characters, and especially Will, Tessa and Jem. So, of course, every time I see their names, read part of their stories/some of their memories or their interactions, it pulls the right strings. Maybe sometimes my rating is really subjective, and doesn’t take into consideration the actual story. This time, I somehow couldn’t see past that and it’s making me sad.


(100th book of the year!)