4.5 Stars, rounded up to 5

I have complicated feelings about this book.

On the one hand, it wasn't what I wanted it to be? I don't mean that in an awful sense. I'll get into the details later, but a large portion of the book wasn't what I was really craving.
On the other hand, it was so freaking good that, like, it didn't matter what I wanted from it. I definitely mean no disrespect to the author when I say the book wasn't what I initially wanted; on the contrary, I'm saying she knocked this outta the park and pushed past my preconceived notions of what this book "should be." (I mean, what would that even mean, right? She wasn't writing the book for me, and I know that.)

Ok so, some specifics.
- Sera. Gods, I love this girl. She infuriates me. I hate her. I love her. She's the best/worst. You know? The way her character is written is so clever and sassy. I love her narration. Her actions also frustrate me to no end.

Spoiler

She only halfway committed to any plan regarding Kolis. She wasn't bringing down the building to try to escape, but she also wasn't playing nice to get him on her side. For 55% of the book... just not committing to a solid plan.

Granted, it was necessary for her to behave the way she did in order for things to work out the way they did. This is not a diss of the plot. I'm just saying her actions didn't make sense to me, and she didn't know things would work out from her actions, and it frustrated me.
- Ash. Love him, no notes. Just wish there had been more of him in this book.

Spoiler

We had very very little of him for the first 65% of the book, and ... well that's not what I wanted.

- Structure of the book.

Spoiler

Most of the first 65% just felt like an excuse to give the reader more information. It was probably necessary, but maybe it coulda been...fewer pages of that? It felt excessive. At the same time, it was interesting, and the way Sera's POV is written is entertaining.

So I'm not too upset about it; I just want to explain why the book wasn't what I expected.
- In a lot of situations, it seems like everyone just stands around talking when they should be, like, escaping or something. Drives me nuts. Is probably done on purpose in the book. I think it's even referenced. And they keep doing it. lol
- The Spice. Fates, it was incredible. There wasn't a lot of it for most of the book since

Spoiler

they were imprisoned separately (although they got around that at one point, muahaha),

but once the spice started, it happened a lot and it was HOT. Like for real. We're talkin' @n@l with Ash's shadowy tendrils.

My ratings:
Overall: 4.5/5
Angst: 3.75/5
Spice Frequency: 1.75/5
Spice Level: 3/5

Some milestones (beware the spoilers):
-

Spoiler

Ash is freed: pg 406 / 64% / Ch 31

-

Spoiler

Ash and Sera Reunited: pg 412 / 65% / Ch 31