I think this has some spoilers. So I might as well mark it all as spoilerific. It's too hard to talk about this book in cryptic allusions.

First off: I like this series a lot and this is a worthy entry. It manages at the same time to continue the story and put everything on its head. Even as the characters evolve - and that they do - and even as I am surprised by some of the turns and twists, it all ends up making sense.

Some of my favorites have turned out to be even less than what they seemed (Gavin/Dazen) and characters I loved to hate (Andross) ... are suddenly become the ... kind-of good-guy asshole? It took four books to build up that one and I think it went well. Now I have to re-read everything from the beginning because there's no way there aren't hints of this in the previous books.

Something I personally like about the books is how some aspects feel very modern, or rather taken from our location in the space-time continuum. The humor of the Mighty comes to mind. And I love how that group especially manages to convey both light-heartedness and seriousness. This is not all dark and dreary. There is fun to be had and laughs all over the place despite that they are in a war and at least Kip thinks they are all going to die sooner rather than later.

My favorite character for now turns out to be Kip. Kip the loudmouth. Kip, the Breaker and possibly, the Lightbringer. Although I could have done without Tisis stating the obvious there at the end.

Teia is one of my favorite plot lines in this book. Between the Order and Karris she is trying so hard to stay good. But I see her going over the edge in the next book. The potential is there. They are training her - Karris as well - to be a killer, to take life. And in killing the Nuqaba while Ironfist is there she proves this to me at least.

There are a few things I didn't like as much. We see very little of Liv and what she is doing in the end I don't quite get, also the "message" she sends to Kip? It arrives but has no effect at all. And then there is Zymun who while being the acting Prism has very little impact on the book besides the reader knowing that Karris is going to do something stupid because she does not see what a bad person Zymun is. And then the young blackguard dies and it seems to resolve that situation without it ever becoming relevant? These are pieces of the book that may improve with age ... meaning when the next book is released it might become clear what these scenes were meant to be, for now they are a little confusing.

Looking forward very much to the next - final? - book in this series.