A mix of worldbuild-y steampunk and mystery with delightful prose, not the mention some apt glimpses into topics of race, gender, and colonialism. Fatma quickly grew on me as the main character, along with her new partner and co. Things really started to pick up after the midpoint, when clues start to come together and minor characters show up again to help save the day, and the climax kept me on my toes.

Some parts of the book are slow because of the academic nature, and because Johnny can talk for quite a bit. Still, I found the writing to be high-quality, and overall enjoyed spending time in Johnny's head—he may not be lovable, exactly, but his character development is fascinating and his voice is interesting. And the slow moments pay off in all the scenes overflowing with intrigue, emotion, horror, and suspense. The book's depth seems to be as deep as the labyrinth itself.

The pacing made this a fun page-turner! Ultimately, the protagonists' antihero qualities made them not my favorite to read in the last quarter, but even so, I enjoyed how they were allowed to do things most other protagonists would not, and the character development in the first 2/3 of the book especially was satisfying. The setting was interesting, and the varying types of representation was nice to see. Overall, the YA style POV and prose made it less relatable and smooth to read, but nevertheless, between the plot and the world and the eschewing of some genre conventions, this was fun to read!

Fantastic and well-informed music descriptions, so many good moments with characters that grew on me, a fun take on the sci-fi elements, and trans rep! The middle dragged a little but the ending was worth it—extremely satisfying and well-deserved for the characters. Would read again.

I have notes scattered all over my copy since I enjoyed it so much. The writing is phenomenal, and I wanted to reread the moment I finished.