Overall, I think I'd give this one a 3.5.

This was a delightful pairing of gaslamp fantasy and cozy monster romance and an excellent introduction into this world. The structure was really interesting because it's written as kind of a recounting of past events while also having these lovely little academic and personal annotations alluding to future events.

I do think the romance suffered a little bit but only because it felt like I didn't get enough time with Sirin and Berne as a couple and I wanted more of them together. Both of them are such adorable characters and I love how obsessed they are with one another.

I am excited for future books in this series to see if there is a better balance between relationship building and world building. (I definitely think there will be.)