I would be pretty bummed about finishing this before the third book was available.

This book feels better balanced than the first - it benefits from both an established backstory and some new perspectives. I'm still OK with Koli though, whose naivete can be tedious but also useful (maybe charming? that may be too charitable).

Sometimes, though, a fool bumps into the good fortune that a wise one walks around.

There's a whole lot of social commentary, which all feels natural in the world Carey has built. I think if I read this as a kid the social bits would have felt artificial, but now they just remind me of Mary Robinette Kowal's line:

It's not about adding diversity for the sake of diversity, it's about subtracting homogeneity for the sake of realism.

The character voices in this series are so strong and distinct. It's certainly bleak a lot of the time, but that helps amplify the genuinely touching moments.

I'll spoiler-hide these quotes to be safe, but it's the best example of a bleak/beautiful pair I can recall.


From the very welcome Spinner chapters...

This was my understanding of marriage. That one would be sensible and the other mad. One would work, and one would lie back and be carried. Both would weep, but only one would mean it.

...and later...

I had never loved him so much as I did then. I saw how little other things weighed with him when I was put in the scale, and I realised I would be just the same if it was the other way about.

Boy I hope this series ends well!