I have no idea how I feel about this book. I alternately hated and loved it 😆 I went from not wanting to pick it up, to not wanting to put it down; from a generous 2 ⭐️ at 150 pages in, to 4.5 ⭐️ for the last 100 pages. 

The first half of the book was frustratingly slow and convoluted. There are too many characters, and it jumps so haphazardly from viewpoint to viewpoint that it’s hard to get into the flow of the story. Thank goodness for the character list. 

The sentence structure is diabolical and tortuous. It took me forever to read this book because I kept having to reread the sentences due to their ambiguous phrasing (too many commas in some parts, too few in others). Some sentences were downright undecipherable. What do you MEAN, Mr Caldecott?? 😩🙄

From my last two paragraphs, you would think I hated this book. No, apparently, I am a sucker for punishment. I love mysteries, especially historical mysteries, especially alternative history mysteries. Throw in some fantastical elements, puzzles, action, adventure, minimal romance, and a few murders, and I’m in my happy place. I went straight to the library for the rest of the series. 

Two more things: