4.75 is most accurate. i'm devastated. just wow. utterly incredible writing

2.75 stars is most accurate. this book made me irate. not sure why. similar to the previous novel (but even more so) it makes no point about anything. no message. and i am a firm believer that even sequels should be able to stand on their own, and this cannot.

basically just gonna go off of the things i already rated here but: plot was by far the best. not entirely believable at times (lots of stuff felt unnecessary and indulgent) but very enjoyable to read generally. as far as characters i think they're pretty okay (if not a little flat) except in the relic bearers' case— who are all very interesting and loveable— and violet's case, who is incredibly frustrating and annoying. the antagonists were particularly flat but i try not to mind that, especially with first person, since it can be argued that's just the narrator's influence. my biggest gripe by FAR can be summed up by saying the writing is just not good. dialogue? absolutely horrible half the time. worldbuilding? constantly told, not shown, in ways that are just offensively repetitive and unrealistic. characters CONSTANTLY seem to be forgetting things and repeating things they should already know, and i should not be finding this many typos in a published work, i'm sorry.

tl;dr: i really think this piece just needs a harsh editor and it could be pretty good. recommended by my mom, didn't hate it as much as i thought i would. bless!