The world building is decent--except for Sophos, which feels a bit out of place--and the character work improves with each addition to the series. 

However the romance is a little rushed. It feels to me like the sexual tension, which has been building and building, should have been the first thing addressed, but instead the FMC and MMC feel like an instant couple? 

I also found myself disappointed in how the whole Auralie situation played out. She is inarguably a villain, albeit a redeemable one, and I felt that not enough time went into confronting her with her wrongdoings. Everything else in the plot is paced pretty well, so this felt jarringly out of place. 

Finally, I had to deduct a couple poijts for Diem being a centrist LOL. Her motivation is fickle and wishy washy. She hopes for peace, yet is willing to show mercy (multiple times!) to people who have killed entire villages of innocents, children, and people Diem loves. It feels naive and downright stupid for her to not have learned a lesson by now, which makes me squint at the author a little. While I understand whole heartedly that a characters motivations is not necessarily the viewpoint of the author, pushing for a centrist MC and overall theme feels cringe considering the political horror that is going on in America RN.

All in all though, Penn Cole does an excellent job at creating intgue and crafting problems that leave the reader wondering just how Diem and gang are going to get out of this one.

Eagerly awaiting the fourth and final installment.