this had a very compelling premise but the execution was a bit bland and dry. the character voice fell flat and the plot seemed tedious and repetitive. the pacing is very uneven and i question the inclusion of the last two parts. i know trilogies are getting kinda tired and worn out in the ya fantasy genre, but this might have benefitted from either trimming the plot or going fully maximalist and really expanding on all this. as it is, this felt both lacking and still too dense, all at once.