I had to step away from this series for a bit because I was tearing through the books faster than I could really sit with them, and it started to feel like I was just checking boxes instead of actually taking anything in. A short detour with a few other reads helped reset things, and coming back into The Indwelling felt a lot more intentional. It’s definitely an improvement over Assassins, which, for me, never quite delivered on the weight it should have carried. At the same time, I still can’t shake the feeling that there’s a lot here that could have been tightened up. These two books feel like they’re telling one story stretched across two installments, and part of me wishes it had been condensed into something sharper and more impactful. Still, there are moments here that land. Carpathia’s return, now fully indwelt and openly declaring himself as God, shifts everything into a darker, more urgent place. The world feels more dangerous, more desperate, and less like people reacting to events and more like they’re being forced to choose what they actually stand for, whether they’re ready or not.
What keeps me grounded in all of this is still Rayford. His arc continues to carry a lot of the emotional weight, and there’s something about the way he keeps pushing forward, even when he’s clearly worn down and questioning himself, that feels real. It’s not heroic in a clean way, it’s messy and heavy, and that works. I’m not as connected to the rest of the group right now, though, which surprised me a bit. Buck and Chloe are still important to the story, but they’re not pulling me in the same way. Chaim, on the other hand, ended up being the one that stuck with me the most. His internal struggle felt uncomfortably familiar. That tension between belief and doubt, wanting to believe fully but overthinking every part of it, questioning your own intentions and whether you’re coming to faith out of truth or fear, that hit close to home. I’ve had those same thoughts, that same tendency to act as my own judge and jury, and seeing that reflected in him gave this book a layer that went beyond just the plot.
I’m at a point now where I’m hoping this is where things really start to turn. There’s a sense that everything has been building toward something bigger, and while this book moves things forward, it still feels like it’s setting the stage more than delivering the full payoff. I’m close to the midpoint of the series when you factor in the prequels, and there’s a lot of space left for this story to either really take off or start to feel stretched too thin. I’m still invested, still showing up for these characters, but I’m waiting for that next stretch where everything clicks and hits with the kind of weight I know this story is capable of.