Somehow I have even less patience with the urban fantasy side of things - the ley lines made me sigh, they really did - but I really do like how the marginalisation here continues to drive characterisation and story. By virtue of her race and sex, Elena already lives on thin ice, and for more than her job. When seemingly irrational things happen to her, she's less likely to be believed, and she's less likely to be given leeway when things get difficult. I have very little interest in the villain here, who is essentially a cardboard character and the least compelling thing about this series, but that Elena's involvement in this story leads to the apparent end of her career... that's the part I'm interested in, the horrendous inequality of consequence, and it just about outweighs the rest here for me.