I loved the dichotomy between Sylvia and Lorelai, Lorelai being the grumpy main point of view character while Sylvia is her academic rival and of course, romantic interest who is pure sunshine and loved by all.
It made their interactions with one another both funny and adorable because Lorelai constantly attempts to be so standoffish with everyone, an aspect that really adds depth to her character in the end because of the experiences in her life that have led her to be this way. She comes from a people who are shunned by the masses and has shut herself down because of this and her traumatic background, and watching her overcome this makes for great character development.
The plot itself is interesting on multiple levels and reeled me in pretty quickly. Not only is there an academic rivals aspect to it, but there’s also something of a murder mystery to be solved as these characters go out on their expedition to find a magical power to better their land. I really enjoyed this investigation especially as it really added an air of uncertainty and mystery to who was the culprit and why it had been done that leaves the reader guessing from start to finish. This was probably my favourite part of it.
There’s even some action closer to the end of the book, from epic fights to traversing dangerous terrain which makes for a fast paced read. I did find it dragging a bit near the end though and started to lose a bit of interest though it was otherwise a very enjoyable read.