Back when I read the first book of this trilogy, my irritation at the MC knew no bounds (I always believe there’s a special place in hell for those oppressed who willingly and consciously side with the oppressor). But she’s demonstrated passable growth by the end of the story, and the combination of the worldbuilding and the overall plot hooked me enough to get the next book, so here I am, finally fitting it into my reading plans. 

Sophie is indeed a lot more pleasant as a protagonist this time around. I still found myself disagreeing or occasionally getting annoyed by some of her decisions, but she’s definitely more proactive, more conscious of the problems within the country, and more empathetic. So all the annoying parts are more like flaws that make her more “alive“ and realistic rather than reasons to want to yell at her for 24 hours straight, lol. I also liked her plotline with figuring out her magic a lot—the arts and crafts based magic system here is really super interesting. And I also quite enjoyed how her romance with Theodor transitioned from the “will they even try?“ phase into “so how are they making this work?“

Speaking of Theodor, it’s him who was my main source of frustration this time—just because of how stupidly idealistic he is. He wants to do the right thing, but he keeps wanting to do it in a specific manner that is right and righteous and simply won’t work. And like, it makes sense with his upbringing! But also, past a certain point this approach just dragged (though it was all the more satisfying when he changed his mind later).

Plot-wise, it’s very much the middle book of a trilogy. A big part of the events feel like they’re there to bridge the gap between the first book and the planned big conclusion. The worldbuilding gets expanded by a whole lot, but the most exciting elements do little but exist very, very pointedly. I expect them to pay off big time in the final book, though, and I’m even constructing theories that I’ll be glad to see either confirmed or debunked.

Oh, and the sapphic subplot grew more prominent and pointed here. I love the sapphic subplot.