Listen, I started off deeply unsure about this book. I don’t think I like either of the protagonists, or their relationships. I’m not sure I bought into the revenge plot motivations. I picked this up because I heard it’s a Count of Monte Cristo retelling, and I love some twisty scheming. Ultimately I found the intrigue enough to keep me sucked in to this story. Paired with some of the atmospheric scenes, like the volcanic cave palace and the scenes in the vice sector, I found much of this book captivating. I’m not sure that the payoff was enough on this one, but turns out it’s not a standalone! This fact actually sort of irks me and I’m not sure I would recommend this book to most people, but yeah I fully plan to keep reading.