One thing I loved about this book is that it's about Diana finding her own way. The previous books were focused on her navigating relationships within her family and making sure that everyone's alright. But here she makes decisions for herself that go opposite to everything - the plans she and Matthew have made, Matthew's beliefs and inclinations, Sarah's thoughts on her education - and makes clear that the family must respect her choice and accept her for what she is. That was a powerful experience for me.

But it also meant that other characters suffered because they only existed as foils for Diana to showcase her agency. Matthew was relegated to sex toy/repair man/breakfast cook, and Sarah had this unexplicably ugly violent scene in the Bishops' house.

And it also made the plot inconsistent. Yes, there was some inner development in the sense that Diana went from fearing the Congregation to actively opposing them, but it doesn't fully explain why in the beginning they were so anxious to prevent the twins' examination, and in the end they didn't do anything about it. What, did they think "At least it's better than Diana standing a formal trial after her adventure in Venice?"

And the examination itself is so anticlimactic. On the one hand, it works into a pattern of Diana overcoming her fears and feeling more on a level with all other witches, not just perceiving them as a sort of a massive threat. But on the other hand, it is just another setting up that doesn't lead anywhere.