This is not a book for everyone; things progress at a gruelingly slow pace for the entire first third. Given that it’s the first book in a series, I expecting some slower moments but it will definitely be a barrier to entry for some. Overall, it feels lightly historical fiction-esque in prose (a la the Emily Wilde series) but also has historical-esque societal vibes (aka antiquated) which also cements it as a book not for all.

I found the world interesting and the general concept intriguing but the main character is kind of a drip and I’m not sure how much I liked that everyone is essentially a terrible person. Medium!

three boys with plenty of promise and arguably not enough arms threaten to take down multiple worlds because they have trouble trusting people (except for that one woman).

Parts of this felt like a slog and didn't feel as strong as book two but it makes sense since our homies are all in the shit and that can get somewhat tiresome - plus it felt like nothing happened even though so much happened.

helene chapters are the best and will be forever.

See, now THIS is how things should start to tie together! Given that book one was entirely set up, I had some doubts about how much I would enjoy the rest of the series but all that worry was for nothing because this goes so hard.

The pacing is steady, with high intensity and plenty of emotion throughout. Character development was exactly what I was hoping for - Laia was less irksome, Elias was more heroic, and we get a peak inside of Helene's head. Lingering questions from book one are answered, plenty is set up for book three.

HELENE STAN TILL I DIE FR

holy shit this is how you land the plane