In series that are longer than three books, personal reading history has shown me that book three is where things often start to fizzle out. I enjoyed the first two book in the Bone Season series despite the fact that, in general, I have no interest in dystopian novels. However the criminal underground + supernatural element in this one keeps me reading. I went into The Song Rising with some prejudice, almost prepared to finally get bored and be let down. 
 But I still really like this. 
 I like Paige Mahoney and the world building. 
 I like the fact that this book is relatively short. There is one really popular YA author (who shall remain nameless) who drives me nuts by putting hundreds more pages than the plot necessitates into nearly every book she writes. But you'll find no such self indulgence here, this was a clean tight story that moved quickly. 
 I appreciate that the Rephaite's sense of otherness is maintained while still involving them heavily in the story. One of my biggest pet peeves is when otherworldly races come across as little more than humans who are hot, immortal, and super-powered. In truth their nature should feel alien and difficult to understand, that's not easy to do while still making one a main character. Warden remains quite alien. Some may find his lack of emotion, or the fact that those he does have are so rarely glimpsed, frustrating. I however am glad who and what they are have been kept in focus. 
 The last portion was scary and exciting and I love that it ended in such a way that how and where Paige functioned in the story was set to pick up in a totally new place with a new purpose in book four.