Nicolai's shadow vampire self... it was so unemotional. No build up. Most of the time no one but Alina knew avout it at all and she once again seemed strangely detached from it. Like she just had lost a trinket. She continues to barely give us any emotional attachment to her. Most things continue to happen to her, not because of her. We get a morr description of the layout of the house they stay at, than an insight into Alina's feeling. I have rarely felt that emotionally detached from a character...
Zoya still being mean girled by Alina we get it you don't like her and make no effort in liking her
Mal's firebird arch, especially the miraculous resurrection. Wtf
Alina giving up her power so others now have part of her power? Lame af. Reluctant heroine trope who doesn't want her power fullfilled though
The Darkling's forces basically all surrendering as soon as he is dead. That seems highly illogical
Let alone the fact that it reads like a handful of people just defeated an army
The final fight between Alina and the Darkling feels so anti climatic
Kind of wish that Alina would have ended all alone in the end.
Mal and Alina going back to Keramzin with Misha... it reads like (bad) fanfiction
And I still hate these 3rd person intro/outro bits. When I read that "thr girl and the boy" stuff I'm reminded of Arya Stark in GoT and all that "a girl has no name stuff"
So much potential so little of it was used. Those 3 books are a graveyard of lost potential.
As said before, a rewrite into a full blown fantasy thriller with the darkling being hannibal lector or into a good adult fantasy story with real shades of grey would do that whole series so, so good
I think I need to let that mess sink in for a day or two before I write my goodreads review