Grant

As always, Erikson's zoomed out view of cyclical history due to human nature is present. This book seems to be examining faith and fanaticism more. There are multiple conversations about a god's responsibility to its followers but also its followers responsibility to the god. Betrayal can come from both sides and in fact the mortals can commit such atrocities in the god's name that it becomes too weak to stop them. 

There's the strong gender and pregnancy theme/symbols but that was muddier to me.

Not my favorite of the series, I must confess. Some of my favorite ingredients were present (Trull + Onrock, Fiddler, paragraphs long anthropological screeds) but it never fully came together the way Chain of Dogs or Midnight Tides did. 

Not a refreshing read. A very sad (but still quite good) read. Credit to Hobb, my heart hurts for nearly every character.

Also the Fool is an archetype I cannot get enough of. Feels like there's a fun online personality test/buzzfeed quiz to be made based on what character archetypes you love. 

1. Just watch Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. It does this but better. 
2. It was entertaining! I blazed through it, but I suspect I'll have forgotten I read it by the end of the year. 
3. I think it tried to be part thriller and part reflective. The reflective parts fell flat for me; there just wasn't enough support for them to carry the weight they deserved.

This is a good book. Kuang is very talented. My rating only reflects my enjoyment of the book, NOT its quality. 

I just lost interest in all the characters. I think their arcs are well written, but they're not ones I enjoy. Which is a bummer, because I really like the series from a 5,000 ft level. The politicking, colonialism, and shifting geopolitical power dynamics are still compelling to me. 

I'll probably just look up a summary of book 3. 

“Tell me, princess, are you glad of the mist fading?”