I thought maybe this series may start the downward series-has-gone-on-for-too-long-and-author-has-lost-momentum spiral after reading the third book, but Valente pulls it all back together with this one. 
 "In the map of a story, one follows certain traditions so that mariners do not get confused and lost in a storm of metaphors. Heroes get big, splashy symbols, for they are the Capitals of their tales: circles with stars in the center, or magical swords, or a crown stuck all over with jewels. Villains likewise must be marked clearly with serpents biting their own tails or black hats or bold, uppercase letters which read Terra Periocolosa. This is a very old and fancy way of saying Wrong Way, Detour, Do Not Stop for Tea. Important Objects, Enchanted Houses, and Plot Twists will have pretty stamps and bear the label of Points of Interest. Companions, those stalwart souls who stand beside the Hero as she Does What Must Be Done, often manage only the unassuming dot of a Small Town or Shipwreck, even if they are quite as fascinating, as full of snaggle-streets and dark towers, as the Capital." 
 Yes. Yes. Yes. A million times yes.