I reread the first 2 books and really enjoyed that I still loved them on the second read, so I was stoked to read the next book. Maybe I need to read this one twice as well, considering that I didn't immediately love the first book, but I felt a bit disappointed in this book. The first two books are great because El has SO MUCH EMOTION all day every day. She sits in one place so she really has time to grow and work through changes and emotions. This third book she just seems to go from place to place wihtout all that much emotional impact? In the first book she finds a friend, in the second book she finds community, in the third book she finds... family that furthers the plot but we hardly get to know? A boyfriend who exists against all odds but isn't really present in the books much? A fling with a woman she doesn't really care for that much? I'm not quite sure what the point was. I do like the plot in regards to the mawmouths, although her singlehandedly bullying whole enclaves is a bit iffy, the plot is quite solid and the ending is quite fitting. It just seemed like in all the steps to get from one part of the plot to the next, the emotion is lost. The insular world of the scholomance allowed for much more emotional development, while this book seemed more concerned with where to go and what to do in the big wide world. I might reread it at some point, to see if I was wrong after all, but right now I am a bit disappointed.