This was definitely my least favorite of the series so far, so I’m sort of glad that I won’t be finishing the series until probably next year. I still enjoyed it. I just found it more confusing than the first two installments, which is probably just because I read it too quickly but also because there’s a lot going on and several more new characters are introduced. I sort of think that most of its issues just come from it being the third book in a five-book series, and the end definitely made me look forward to what’s next. I’m just a little bit burnt out on tweens going on adventures now.

I loved how this book handled different types of family dynamics and the impact that parents have on their children. I also liked seeing how the dynamic between Aru, Mini, Brynne, and Aiden has evolved and solidified between the second book and this one. Aru feels like a more mature and complex character now in a way that really works, and I’m excited to see how her internal conflict gets resolved in the last two books.

I was expecting a plot twist that never really came, but that’s on me for guessing things incorrectly.