There are parts of this book that I flat out adored, but then parts that really fell kind of flat for me. So, we shall break them down, as you do.
What I Liked:
- The characters, basically all of them really. They're quite well done and fleshed out. I might have even liked the side characters more than the main characters, but it still worked really well. The relationships that Eve had were fabulous too. Loved the loyalty that her friends and well, robots, but they were friends too, had for her. And it was obvious that the love was reciprocated.
- Romanov history for the win! I was kind of giddy excited when I realized what it was. I know there are other references (Cait @ Paper Fury described them more in depth) but... this was the only one I know-know, okay? Plus, the U.S. cover doesn't tell us about any of them, so I went in surprised, happily so, because the Romanov story is pretty compelling, right? Yes, and even though I kind of knew how that part would end up (actually we all learn really early on so it's not spoilery even), it was still really emotionally charged.
- Snark and banter and delightfulness. This probably ties into the character piece, but the dialogue was just perfect for me. I enjoyed it so much- maybe that is why the battles bugged me, I just wanted everyone to chat for several hundred pages!
What I Didn't:
- Pacing was hit or miss. I actually had a really hard time getting into the book. And then for awhile, I was pretty invested! But then, I felt more lulls, and it went on like this for most of the book for me.
- So. Many. Battles. This may be more of a personal qualm, but I just get bored with too many battle scenes. Like okay, I get it, things are rough out there. My eyes just start to glaze over after awhile.
- Quite predictable. Now, I will say that there was one pretty big twist I didn't see coming, and that was fun! But most of it... yeah, I kind of predicted. So when you add that in with me getting kind of bored of the fighting... well, it's a recipe for mild apathy.
Will I Read the Next Book? Possibly. I liked the characters and the ending a lot, so yeah.
Bottom Line: While sometimes slow and predictable, the characters and writing were ultimately enough to keep me reading.