I skim-reread Curse of Saints before diving into this which was probably a mistake because even though I'd enjoyed it the first time around, I couldn't help but feel frustrated at a few aspects of the writing and characterisation.

Aya still does not seem a great spy, we're just told she is, Will and Aya's relationship is grounded entirely in years of not communicating and mistrust and 15% in the story hasn't developed from where we left off at the end of book 1, and given how long this book is that makes me kind of dread how slow the plot might be. It's time I stopped trying to force myself to continue because of the imagined payoff of a twisty story with shock value.