I'm nearing the end of the book now, so not sure if I'll have much to say about each separate section, but I liked the beginning a lot. The Sinspire and the game they played there is the sort of thing we've come to expect by now, the Gentlemen Bastards at the top of their game - but neatly interrupted by the description of how low Locke had gone before getting there. Although putting that in a flashback did somewhat undermine its potency; I would argue that the structure there is effective in terms of plot and pacing, but not so good for character development. But okay.

Excellent creepy scene in the market place, too, no doubt the best creepy scene in the series so far. Not an entirely new idea to be sure, but well executed, and I dare say not the way in which anyone would have expected the Bondsmagi's resentment to manifest for the first time!