Sarah Harakas

Listen, this book is incredibly challenging to read the first time. And also it has one of the best payoffs I've ever experienced in a book. This book made me love Harrow more than i ever thought possible. This book is the longest and most complicated love letter ever penned. It's one of my favorite books of all time.

Idk if it's because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading the physical book, but I just didn't like this story and all of the characters kind of sucked and not in a good way. I didn't really care about any of them.

Touraine and Luca are compelling and deeply flawed main characters whose individual desires are antithetical to the feelings they are developing for one another. What happens when you're on opposing sides of a conflict but you still want to save the other person? Lots of mess. Highly recommended for some good gay angst.

I devoured this book in a few hours. The mid-century noir slang and vibes are very clear and enjoyable, as are the character voices, especially that of the mc/narrator, Helen. The ending was bittersweet, and the journey was sweet and thrilling and romantic as hell. Highly recommend.

Everything in & around Rhuidean (just a handful of the 50-something chapters) was what kept me from dnfing. The development of the worldbuilding & lore in these chapters & how they related back to Rand & the philosophical questions they posed was really interesting & engaging. Almost everything else was a slog.