Was riding at a 3.5 to settle at a 4.

That being said, getting through this was a struggle in some parts. Yarros' editor definitely should have recommended trimming at least 100 pages with less "I can't trust him" angst as well as the smut. Not that I didn't ENJOY the smut but there was a lot going on and if smut can't even help the drag then there are PROBLEMS.

Looking forward to the next book but...not sure how this is going to last for five books overall?