I wasn’t sure how I wanted to rate this book, but I went with a 5, because I love the series, and because there were so many things that I really loved about Magni and Laura’s story. Honestly, I loved being in Magni’s point of view, and I loved him way more than I expected. Unfortunately, being in Laura’s viewpoint made me like her less. She was childish and so determined to bring Magni to his knees, to force him to see her way of things but offering to return little in the form of compromise.
Magni learning to understand and accept his emotions was a fantastic journey to read. I could understand his pain, his feelings of betrayal, and nobody was trying to really get down deep with him. Khan and Laura didn’t have the tools for it, but it left Magni’s betrayed feelings raw and painful with no way to soothe himself.
Magni is an excellently-written character of transformation. Surrounded by his perceived betrayals, misunderstood, and unsupported, he went inside and found his own answers. It takes a strong man to do that. Laura’s change came only when she finally drove him away seemingly for good—and even then, when he returned, he had to make the first move. Yay for the fiercest of the Nmen.
I look forward to the next book, set a few years in the future. The work started in these first five books should have begun to manifest in the Nmen and Momsie societies. I can’t wait to see what trouble they can get into next.