I was not on solid footing for a majority of this adventure, but by the end was totally convinced this book is special. It's just as heart-pounding as the prior two, but for very different, uncomfortable reasons. Bear with me, but I don't feel I've ever related to a fictional character so closely. Locke Lamora's absolute emotional mess of character made me itch! I felt aches under scars I've long since swathed and ignored. His stubbornness, over-thinking and over-speaking, his hopeless romanticism -- none of it is tidy or ideal. But it's true and real, and I love him. I hope we get The Thorn of Emberlain soon but just as dreamy closure was evaded at the end of this story, so I'll have to let this heartache sit.