So... I finished it. To start, the copy editing was poor, which made an already difficult read even harder. It wasn't difficult to understand or anything- just repetitive and unsubstantive. There was clearly a deadline and a page requirement and not enough time or ideas to meet them. To my knowledge, this is now the last book in what was supposed to be a four book series. But it ended with a whimper and a platitude, so I'm pretty sure this is it. I wish I didn't feel the need to complete series that I start because there are so many hours I want to get back from this series.