The actual reading experience was, on the whole, enjoyable, until the last few chapters. It was lovely to return to Lyra and Pantalaimon as a childhood fan, and the set-up was fantastic until I realised that this entire book was set-up. No questions answered, nothing explained, plus gratuitous sexual assault, a man in his mid-thirties realising he’s in love with one of his students he’s known since she was a baby, and enough mention of women’s anatomy to remind us that this book was written by a man. Fingers crossed for the final book...