The darkest chapter yet of the red rising sequel trilogy - the Lysander chapters tend to drag a bit, and the non-stop existential brooding of Darrow can grind things to a halt. Ephraim’s story continues to be the most engaging of the sequel series, and Lyria get a lot of character growth that helps make what would otherwise be an annoying plucky “resistance” nu Star Wars character a much more interesting and fascinating experience.

Victra is easily a standout - something about her haughty, better-than-you tone just works, and she’s a far better POV character to have as a grown adult than she would have been in the previous books. 

The darkness is grim and the grimness is dark, but it looks like we’re seeing the end of the tunnel with this space opera of a story.