3.5 stars, rounded up for healthy communication and a poly relationship!

I think where I wanted more was in the worldbuilding - namely the goals and roles of the different families and more about what alchemy looks like for people who aren’t in the upper classes - like what lower level schooling looks like or more about punishment. We don’t get enough of the tension between the religious followers and the alchemists; indeed it felt almost like a surprise when that became a big part of the overall plot. Also I feel like we don’t know enough about how Alchemy works.

The major strength of the story came in the interpersonal relationships between Ash, Ramsey, and Callum - with bonus Marlow and Hayne - in how they communicate and how they disagree, and how they work together. The characters were complex and didn’t fit together cleanly, but that made it feel a lot more realistic. Also! Trans main character! Genderfluid love interest! Polyamorous main triad!

I’m also not really sure where future books in this series are going to lead? It felt very nicely contained by the end. But I suppose I’ll find out!