This series is like the other side of the coin for me with SFF I enjoy. Emma Newman's Planetfall series is a good example of character-forward SF with an interesting plot, and O'Keefe's Protectorate series is a good example of plot-forward SF with interesting characters. I think I'd give the whole series 4.5 rounded up to 5. I'm rounding up because I can nitpick and criticize any book, so withholding 5 stars for perfection doesn't make sense for me as a rater.

Were there times when I thought a plot point was weak? Or there were one too many reveals? Yes. But I think overall it's such a well-plotted book. She had to have this at least mostly thought out well in advance. I bet there were hints dropped in the earlier books that I would notice on a re-read. It was meticulous work to create a very engaging, twisty story. I had a really good time.

The climax here was so well done in terms of pacing and scale. It felt like the whole second half of the book was the finale as it kept building. It felt very worthy of what the previous two books built.

Character-wise, I think Tomas ended up being a favorite. His arc was unexpectedly moving to me. He gains so much vulnerability.

Where I was less satisfied with the character work in the series as a whole was with Sanda's family. I feel like we're told they're close and important to each other, but we don't get to see much of that because they are separated from the beginning. It was hard to feel their drive to protect each other as intensely as the book communicates it because I hadn't seen their closeness play out on the page.

Overall, SO FUN.