

Schwab is masterful at giving us a glimpse of a complex world through the eyes and feelings of a limited set of characters, and this book is a great example of that. Her writing is impeccable and easy to follow, and her characters grow on you as you read.
In this book, however, the focus is too limited to the characters' immediate thoughts. It's easy to understand their motivation, but I was left wanting to learn more about the world, its politics, and its ramifications. By taking the first half to get to the Elemental Games and the second half to go through them, Schwab does a great job at crafting her characters in detriment to world-building and impactful events. This makes the book not be a strong standalone entry, but an interesting setup for the final book in the series.
Schwab is masterful at giving us a glimpse of a complex world through the eyes and feelings of a limited set of characters, and this book is a great example of that. Her writing is impeccable and easy to follow, and her characters grow on you as you read.
In this book, however, the focus is too limited to the characters' immediate thoughts. It's easy to understand their motivation, but I was left wanting to learn more about the world, its politics, and its ramifications. By taking the first half to get to the Elemental Games and the second half to go through them, Schwab does a great job at crafting her characters in detriment to world-building and impactful events. This makes the book not be a strong standalone entry, but an interesting setup for the final book in the series.