This collection reminded me why I love Naomi Novik as an author. I adored basically every story in this book. I didn't really love the Scholomance series, and that story was the only one that I felt kind of meh about (which made me feel a little more self-validated, that even in a short story format, I just don't vibe with that universe). I had never read any Temeraire, but now I really want to, because both of those stories were a delight! I loved the standalones as well. My favorite aspect of this collection was that ALL of these stories felt very well scoped to me. They all hooked me in quick, and the length of the story felt appropriate for the way the story unfolded. For a few (including the one that was a sneak peek at her next work) I would have loved to spend more time in that world, but it didn't leave me feeling unsatisfied at the end of the story. Overall would highly recommend.