I genuinely did not think this series could keep escalating the way it has, and then this book happened. Floor six throws Carl and Donut in as prey, and watching Carl respond by immediately bombing a hunter capital before the floor even begins is exactly the unhinged energy I needed. Donut’s bard arc is equal parts disaster and triumph, Prepotente becomes one of the most emotionally devastating characters in the series, and the Masquerade sequence alone, a ballroom full of political landmines, a cat show, and velociraptors, is worth the price of admission.
What keeps this from being a pure highlight reel is how much the quieter moments earn their weight. Donut’s reunion with Beatrice, the promise Carl makes about the ninth floor, Miriam Dom dying on her own terms with Carl beside her, these land hard because the characters have been built so carefully. The ending leaves you bruised and breathless, especially with that final cruel twist involving Eva and Katia. Five books in, this world still surprises me.