to everyone who disliked this book because of the race against time that it introduced, i hear you, i see you, you are valid. but dare i say, i think you just don't get what the author was trying to do. which is ok because i get it. like i get it so much, it's not even funny.
this book carried on so well from The Games Gods Play, it felt like there was no pause in between the books. the writing, the characters, and the plot development were all very consistent with what was in the first book. speaking of that plot development!! oh my god?? the entire race against time aspect had me on my knees with my heart in my throat at some points. contrary to what seems to be a popular opinion about this book, i had no issue following the twists and turns and timelines. in fact, i thought it was all laid out very well and made a whole lot of sense. if anything, the most confusing part of the converging timelines were the callbacks to the first book and my goldfish memory brain not remembering every little thing. the character development was another thing i thought was very well done. everyone i loved from the last book grew and changed and made decisions that felt very in character, but also showed a natural progression that i would expect from a sequel. also, the Titans!! i can't say a whole lot about them because that would be an incredible spoiler but just know, they are such a good addition to this universe.
now, this was not a perfect read for me. Lyra being the only hope for literally everything gets old pretty fast (which she does make fun of, so the book gets a point for being self-aware). also, i am begging authors to stop throwing in random sex or intense makeout scenes when characters are on a time crunch. it's sexy, it shows connection and tension, it's a way for relationships to develop, i get it. i also hate it. i'm also taking half a star off because the author killed off a character i loved and i will be mad about that forever actually.
but if you have been on the fence about continuing this series because of all the negative reviews, let this be the review to tell you it's ok! just read it and go on the insane adventure that is within the pages. you'll thank me after you're done.