ugh! still not any better! so disappointing. still too focused on Arin and Kestrel's love for each other and not focused enough on the betrayal! the attempted assassinations! you're in the court, Kestrel, and there's plenty of intrigue around, so get your mind out of the gutter and start being useful! and Arin, stop making assumptions about Kestrel. just stop. but the ending of this one was just like the ending of The Winner's Curse: so promising! so I'll probably keep going on to the next one just so I can get some closure.