I do think that whoever is comping this to Fourth Wing is doing the book a huge disservice. This is NOT going to be fun for the Fourth Wing readers, and you're just going to end up with a lot of disappointed DNFs. Add to that the number of Brandon Sanderson fans who might actually like this style of high fantasy who won't pick up a book that is described as Fourth Wing x The Atlas Six, and it just feels like that tag line is setting this book up to fail. It's not fast-paced, modern feeling, absolutely not romantasy. There are also nearly zero dragons, so if you are looking for a dragon-rider fantasy, this is not it.

Honestly, to the extent that this book has romance (VERY BARELY), I really feel like it shouldn't have and it would have been better without that plot line, which seemed to serve only to highlight the anti-sex puritan vibes of one of the characters. Instead, what we get is a LOT of discussion of different political factions within a world with very deep world building that is not really explained (maybe in a later book?), magic that is not really explained (maybe in a later book?). This is not character-driven either, as most of the characters (other than Jadon) are given minimal backstory, development, or motivation. As a reader who primarily likes character-driven work, this is definitely not for me, but I know there are plenty of people who enjoy that style of writing.

So, who would actually enjoy this book? High fantasy readers who like classic plot-driven fantasy with an emphasis on complicated politics and near-zero romance. If you loved Lord of the Rings, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss (but hated the sex and cursing), this might be enjoyable to you. Lots of mild violence, gender essentialism, class conflicts, and very slow moving political intrigue. I would describe the overall plot as "utopian school turns out to be very not utopian after all, with a hint of unsolved mystery about the depth of the corruption of the school's ideals."

The concept initially drew me in but I found the world building hard to digest and understand. I liked the academia setting and it has a lot of potential, however, the first few chapters didn’t pull me in enough to want to continue reading. I think readers who like complex world building and multiple points of view mixed with a magic university setting will be interested in this story.

This debut delivers in depth of perspective but doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.

What I Liked:
- The multiple POVs—Jadon, Jenne, Diar, and Christina—offer solid insight into the competitive and political dynamics at Eshtem University. Their varied backgrounds and internal conflicts bring real emotional depth to the story
- The political intrigue and campus drama are strong. There’s a crisp layer of tension as clues about corruption within the Order begin to surface
- Character development is thoughtful—each student’s motivations and backgrounds feel distinct and well-constructed which are interwoven throughout the story.

What Didn’t Quite Work:
- The pacing wavered for me—moments dragged with dense world-building, while the climax rushed through key revelations
- The magic system and class/dragon lore felt under-explained. I wanted more clarity and impact from such epic elements

Overall:
The Ellyrian Code is an engaging, character-driven epic with standout political drama and layered viewpoints. If you're into rich POVs and campus intrigue, you’ll find much to enjoy here. But if you are craving a crisp pace and clearer world mechanics, this one may demand more patience.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC. I’m definitely curious to see where the series goes from here!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! I just finished it this morning and am already so curious to read the sequel.

The Ellyrian Code is a thoroughly enjoyable epic fantasy, set in an elite military academy where trainees study to become various kinds of magicians and dragon riders, depending on their abilities. The academy is cut-throat, and the threat of expulsion constantly hangs over the students' heads. The story follows four first-year students from very different backgrounds as they tackle academic challenges while also trying to find their place among peers who don't see them as equals - Ellyrian society is highly divided by Houses. Meanwhile, a mystery is woven through the plot, involving each character in some way - something that could pose a threat to all of Ellyria.

I really enjoyed getting to know each character and seeing how they navigated their first year. The story spans an entire academic year, which made it feel quite fast-paced while still offering solid insight into their experiences at the school. I particularly enjoyed Christina and Jadon’s arcs so far, especially the way they confront the seemingly inescapable classism embedded in the school system.

The world itself is intriguing - I don’t think it’s been explored to its full potential yet, but I’m sure more is coming in future instalments! The first book introduces different types of magic and hints at the dragons, which I'm especially excited to see more of in Book 2.

The mystery that lands in the protagonists' hands, in one way or another, has me very curious. I love that the characters aren’t all close friends or connected to the mystery in the same way; it makes the unfolding plot feel more natural and layered. The inclusion of extracts from letters and textbooks at the start of each chapter adds a great touch - giving hints at what’s to come, and what hasn’t yet been said aloud.

I look forward to finding out what comes next for these characters and their world! This is a book I’d definitely recommend to fans of military and political fantasy.

If you’ve read Fourth Wing and enjoyed it’s premise but are looking for something with a little less romance and a little more academia, politics and plot, then you should pick up the Ellyrian Code. B.F. Peterson has plotted a powerful and strong story of the first year for four young in initiates at Eshtem University, in their training to join the Order of the Edrei and become guardians of magic and dragons, serving justice and keeping the peace.

Eshtem University is a harsh, challenging and competitive environment, where all students are supposedly treated as equals, competing to learn and perform in challenges and competitions, whose objective is to cull the weak and retain the strong for the protection and benefit of the kingdom. Of course, it’s not as simple as that, external class structure and politics influence, even within the walls of Eshtem University and factor into everything from socialising to lecturer favoritism from the start. Meanwhile, there are other external factors, conspiracies and mysteries, rebellions and uprisings that must be addressed as our cohort of students fight to attain their objectives.

Unlike Fourth Wing, this story doesn’t plunge into the action and there isn’t an overwhelming love affair that drives decision making and action but, there is action, and politics, and class warfare and more, all of which can be a little challenging to keep track off but, somehow isn’t a chore and really pulled me in. I found the world-building in this story to be really strong, founded on a solid core of class structure, religion and politics that truly provides a strong foundation for a series that I’m hopeful will bring in more dragons and even more development of what appears to be an interesting and intriguing magic system.

The core characters in our cohort, Princess Christina and Prince Jadon – young royalty from rival houses, plus Diar and Jenne, from a lower class structure bring depth and contrast to the story. Diar’s family are pledged to Christina’s house, whilst Jenne lost her memories just before joining the university. All have their role to play in challenging the inherent preference that the nobles are given, but also in challenging the reality of honour and equality of a University that prides itself on it’s egalitarianism.

A strong start to what looks like a great epic fantasy series, full of mystery, friendship, adventure and maybe a little romance.

Thank you so much Angry Robot Books and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I struggled to connect with the characters, many of whom felt reactive or underdeveloped. The school system at Eshtem also didn’t make much sense, and the way misogyny is portrayed felt oddly unexamined. Dragons are mentioned but barely present—maybe more to come later?

I did enjoy the ending and see potential in the series, but this one was a bit of a slog. If you love intricate, character-heavy fantasy and don’t mind a slow start, it might be worth trying.

3.75! This fully gave academic, political, magic school chaos with dragons… kinda (they barely show up until graduation, so manage expectations). It’s definitely Fourth Wing’s brainier, more plot-heavy cousin. The world-building is super rich (class systems, royal Houses, conspiracies) and while it’s a lot to take in at first, it works. I won’t lie, the magic system needed more explaining and the pacing is slow, but the tension, mystery, and subtle drama kept me hooked. The Easter eggs at the start of the chapters? Actually important, don’t skip. It’s not perfect, but the potential for what’s coming next is huge!!

"Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six in this epic fantasy set in an elite university, where four students test their mettle to become part of an elite order of dragon riders." - Well, this sounded like something I was very curious to read!

The fantasy world of the novel is rich and it took some concentration to keep it all in my mind; there are a lot of political and religious worldbuilding, which creates a solid base for a series. But I was more interested about the young characters, starting their path in Eshtem University, and how their destinies are braided together.

Youth are allowed to study there as equals, regardless of their backround; so there are a young prince Jadon and princess Christina from the rival House of his, as well as more regular people Diar and Jenne. All that matters is their ability to learn and master the wished skills - and a small mistake in wrong place may cause them expelled. Jenne, which has lost her memory before arriving to the university, still notices how the teaching masters differ the nobles.

Everyone wish to be accepted to the special elite of Order; to become dragon-riding, magic-wielding peacekeepers. But is there really true honor in the Order, or has the corruption found it´s way in this ancient institute?

Enjoyed reading this book, full of suspicious wondering, mysteries, friendship and a bit of romance. Maybe a bit of slowly build start for the series, but an interesting one. Recommending it for friends of epic fantasy and dragons!

NetGalley & Angry Robot, thank you for the gifted eARC!

3.5/5 - rounded up to 4 for the review!

Thank you so much for providing me with an arc copy of this book - I knew from the blurb alone that this would be something of great interest to me and I'm happy to say it definitely still is! I cant wait to pick up a copy of this book and read the finalised physical copy, would love to see some special editions of this too considering how beautiful the original cover is!

Onto the book itself;
I thoroughly enjoyed the worldbuilding we see in this book, in general, a college/university setting and places similar are some of my absolute favourites - the familiarity of schools mixed with the presence of the dragons was super exciting to me and also comfortable and easy to settle into at the same time.

I did find that initially I found it pretty hard to settle into the story and found myself a little bit lost in new names/places etc. for the first few chapters as everything gets thrown at you a little too fast but once you're able to get to grips with all the names and everything happening, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read!

Super excited to see the possibility of future books - I would really like to see these characters again!!

Before I begin, I need to give a few disclaimers. I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for honest feedback, and I went into the book with a negative perception because the book was labelled as being perfect for readers who loved *Fourth Wing.*

I did not like *Fourth Wing,* to the extent that I couldn’t finish the one chapter Amazon ebook sample. Meaning I literally could not get through the first chapter.

So, you can see why that comparison would not make a good first impression. Probably a good reason to ask why I would have read it and agreed to give feedback. I’ve been toying with the idea of a fantasy/magic university setting, based on actual medieval universities and scholastic guilds, so I always try to keep tabs on what other fantasy writers are doing with the idea.

And, in the interest of transparency, I struggled with the beginning of *The Ellyrian Code*. There was too much jumping between point-of-view characters (and too many of them to jump between) without spending enough time establishing their identity. It took me until close to halfway through the book to realize who was who. Now, apparently this books is either a sequel or companion to B.F. Peterson’s earlier book, *The Land Beyond the Waste*, and I hadn’t realized there were connected books. I found an interview where she mentions that *The Land Beyond the Waste* developed from a book she wrote earlier (which seems to be *The Ellyrian Code)* regarding the founding of an order of dragon riders. So I guess the other book is sort of a prequel that got published first?

So, probably up to you to decide which one you want to read first.

Anyway, I did end up really liking the plot of this book, once the novel began to focus in on it. There are tropes that are pretty standard in magic academy books— different houses that are highly competitive rivals, an end of the year competitive tournament, and a secret group of rule breakers responding to incredibly rigid rules. Despite all of that, I felt like they were included because people expected them to be there, rather than because the story necessarily needed them?

The description doesn’t really capture what I felt was the main story— Christina (mentioned in the summary) is alternately attacked and then protected by a former member of the Eshtem (the order that the university trains potential prospects for), who was expelled and declared an outlaw, only for him to face a summary execution by the order’s military general, despite his claims of innocence and shock that he had been tried *in absentia.* Christina feels guilty and uncomfortable about this, so she begins a clandestine quest to find out the truth. Who really was he? What was his crime? Could he have actually been innocent? Was this part of a cover-up by the Eshtem to hide something they had done wrong?

That was what felt like the main story line to me. And I really enjoyed it! It was fascinating and I loved trying to piece the evidence together to unravel it along with her. Unfortunately, only two of the point of view characters were even aware of this story line, and one only partially, so their respective chapters felt a little extraneous. The same with the other elements- like the tournament, secret society, and conflict between social classes felt a little unnecessary, especially since this university is essentially a paramilitary peacekeeping organization. Sort of like the Jedi, if they rode dragons, or a fantasy version of Starfleet.

Unfortunately, this primary story line only began to pick up about halfway through the book, hence my struggles at the beginning, since there wasn’t really a lot of momentum in the beginning. Stick with it though! I did and really enjoyed the second half of the book.

There was just enough intrigue and subterfuge to keep the tension ratcheting up, along with the mysterious events going on behind the scenes at the university, especially seeing the professors and faculty’s machinations to protect their secrets. Growing up, I heard lots of people criticize Harry Potter for being a bad role model, because he constantly breaks the rules and defies authority, even though there wasn’t really a reason for him to do that? In this one, it makes much sense, as the protagonists don’t know which professors can be trusted or not. I really appreciated that addition to the dynamic between student and staff.

Granted, some of the rules didn’t make a lot of sense, like curfew and uniforms. Granted, this is a pseudo military organization, which might account for it? And I think that was part of my confusion. Sometimes it felt like the students were adults in university, but other times, it felt like they were viewed as teenagers in high school. I don’t remember if any of their ages were explicitly listed, but I’m thinking probably around 20ish? The pettiness and cliques felt younger than that on occasion and a lot of the rivalries felt more like they belonged in high school.

I suspect that’s part of my problem with the worldbuilding and characterization— a lot of it ended up feeling like it doesn’t quite fit together all the way. Now, based on the interview that I found, this was probably the author’s first book. For a first book, I expect things to be a little rougher, so I won’t deduct anything for that. Despite all this, it’s a very strong first-written book. I especially appreciated how the dragons are thought out and appear into the story. I won’t give away too much, but this one really leans into the idea of dragons as being majestic and terrible.

Overall, I would recommend it for fantasy fans. It’s definitely not a fantasy/romance like *Fourth Wing,* if that’s what you’re looking for. The romance is a subplot at most, and nothing really happens there.

4/5 stars.

The Ellyrian Code is set within the halls of Eshtem University, an elite magical institution where students compete for the honor of joining the dragon-riding order of Edrei, the story introduces us to four central characters whose ambitions, secrets, and allegiances slowly intertwine against a backdrop of looming corruption.

The class system, based on noble houses like Blood, Gold, and War, hints at a complex sociopolitical world, though we are left largely to figure out how these systems work.

The multiple points of view offer breadth, but not always depth:

Diar, a conflicted noble Christian, stood out because his internal struggle felt the most emotionally grounded.
Jadon, the reckless prince, I think is the author’s favorite. While he occasionally shows strategic brilliance, he often comes off as more entitled than charismatic.
Christina annoyed me at first, but then I started liking her during the tournament.
Jenne, centered on her wiped memory, but she rarely questions her situation and it wasn’t even a focal point of the book.

This is very much a setup book. While the non-traditional structure is refreshing and avoids the usual fantasy clichés, the bulk of the novel feels like prologue to a larger series.
The real momentum doesn’t kick in until the final quarter, when stakes finally start to rise and characters begin to act rather than simply reflect or observe. For some, the payoff may come too late.

The Ellyrian Code - BF Peterson


I was very interested in reading this after absolutely loving The Land Beyond The Waste which is featured in the same world. I will preface this by saying that there is no real link to the previous novel, however it was nice to see some places, people and elements that were mentioned in the TLBTW be mentioned and expanded upon in The Ellyrian Code. I will also say that comparison to Atlas Six and Fourth Wing are mostly baseless and only really share a similar foundation.

This is a hugely ambitious, slow-paced, high fantasy that follows a set of characters from all different walks of life as they enrol into a magical academy. There is a huge theme of class and nobility within the academy setting and there is a lot of information and world building to take in originally that doesn’t get followed up on. The characters all have a very different tone of voice which meant following along with their individual stories was quite easy but I did find that we didn’t get too much depth with each character, just a surface level look at who they were and what their ambitions were. 

I do think there is a story to be told, I’m just think it is coming later and I will still read on to see if it comes as it is an enjoyable read, just not as enjoyable as I hoped it would be.

Thank you to Angry Robot Books for the early arc copy.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

'The Ellyrian Code: The Treaty of Edriendor' is the first book in a new high fantasy series. Set in a world where all families belong to a faction, there is only one place where these ties are set aside: Esthem, the elite University that trains the Edrai. The Edrai are magic users and dragon tamers, sworn to uphold a strict ethical code. This book follows the perspectives of four first-year Esthem initiates from varying backgrounds as they navigate the school.

'The Ellyrian Code' is set on an interesting premise, and shows a lot of promise. In particular, character building is done quite well- despite following four perspectives, I thought all of the main character voices were distinct and easy to jump back and forth between. Unlike other books I've read with numerous perspectives, there was no one perspective that I liked more than the others (and conversely, none that I dreaded reading). Our two highborn main characters, Jadon and Christina, are the best written in my opinion. We get to see both have action outside of their schooling; Christina with a sub-plot where she is tries to track down the concealed identity of a rogue Edrai she witnessed the execution of at the beginning of the book, and Jadon with a sub-plot where he is tasked by his busy father with the political management of a town within their family's jurisdiction. The other two main characters, Diar (a lowborn merchant's son from a niche religion) and Jenne (an amnesiac who remembers nothing outside of her desire to become Edrai, but is concealing that fact from everyone else), have some character development throughout the story but feel less fleshed out overall. I expected Jenne to be more concerned about her missing memories, but the further the book goes on, the less we hear about her amnesia at all.

The main reason for my rating here is that this book feels a lot like a prologue in the way that it is setting up storylines and allegiances for future installments, rather than standing firmly on its own. Despite being central to the plot, I feel that by the end I still knew little about the magic system or dragons, and I was still left a little confused about how the world's overall political system worked. We do get some history lessons via the school lessons the characters are receiving.

I will be continuing with this series as I thought this introduction was solid, but based on this entry alone this feels like it might beconw a series best enjoyed by reading entries back-to-back.

The Ellyrian Code by B.F. Peterson won’t be for everyone—and that’s exactly what makes it so satisfying if it is for you. This isn’t a fast-paced, action-heavy read. It’s a slow-burn, character-driven tangle of political scheming, coded messages, and shifting loyalties that unfolds like a well-played chess match.

I’ll be honest: it took me a minute to settle into the rhythm. But once I did? I was hooked. Every conversation has weight. Every silence feels intentional. The world-building is immersive without info-dumping, and the tension builds not through explosions or chase scenes, but through glances, alliances, and the lingering question of who can actually be trusted.


If you love books like The Goblin Emperor, The Traitor Baru Cormorant, or even Dune (but with less sand and more secrets), this one’s for you. But if you’re looking for instant gratification or constant action, it might feel too slow. For me? The payoff was so worth it.

Peterson has crafted a world where the real power doesn’t lie in magic or brute strength—but in strategy, loyalty, and the right word whispered to the right person at the right time. Loved it.

2.75/3?
Think you’ve got what it takes to become an Edrei- elite dragon riders, sworn to protect and serve as magic weirding peacekeepers?
I would it didn’t take till 80% of the way through for any real developments and connections to be way.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, it has such incredible elements but whilst talking to a friends, there’s no binding ingredient. There’s no connection or bridges to what could be excellent high fantasy components but without context and depth it overall felt confusing and lacking. Towards the last 20% things start to pull together but by this point I’ve spent so long making my guesses that I’m not sure I cared, and the plot lines I did find intriguing weren’t answered.

As we follow 4 main characters there’s 4 main plot lines but it really only felt like 3 as there was a lot of stop start where we don’t spend a lot of time engaged with each character. We go through the motions with them but there’s no depth or real connection to who they are, their motivations and actions outside of which ‘house’ they belong to.

For the world building, it felt very odd and jumpy. There were moments of big info dumps without providing any real in depth context to the history, politics, class division, houses and so on. The characters are from a variety of backgrounds and aforementioned Houses which are meant to be left at the door when they set this highly esteemed college. But it’s talked about constantly especially from the characters born of a ‘higher class’. With a high fantasy with heavy political world building, it could have had such a strong, poignant discussion around prejudice and marginalisation within an academic setting. And don’t get me started on one particular ‘God’ name?!

I ended up spending a lot of time making my own conclusion and trying to fill in the gaps with my own thoughts and guesses towards the characters and plot. The balance to achieve an incredible high fantasy with political intrigue and cast of rich characters just wasn’t there for me. I hope as the series continues it picks up those loose threads and provides more depth and context.

I was sent a copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was advertised as Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six, so dragons and dark academia. I think that this sets an expectation for the book that will leave people feeling a little let down. I will preface by saying I actually really enjoyed this book, its a good start to an epic fantasy story and I am very intrigued as to how the story will continue. That said, this very much felt like the introduction to the story, very little happened in terms of storyline and there was such minimal appearances of dragons that I wasn’t even sure this was going to be a story about dragon riders. There is so much more focus on crown and country and the economics of the world, and a bit of sluggish account of the main characters progressing through the first stages of becoming a member of the Order of the Edrei.

There is a significantly big cast of characters with 4 main POV’s, this meant I found it a little hard to keep track of who everyone was, or what their crown or country allegiances were, whilst this wasn’t supposed to be important once they entered Eshtem University it did mean I would find myself questioning this as interactions between characters were happening, as there was so much focus on the importance of which house someone was a part of. The class and status of each character was important but I felt this hard to keep track of and got a little muddled with different characters.

I can understand why the author chose the 4 POV characters, as their backgrounds differ and I imagine they will all progress into different areas of the magical world, but I think this contributed to the perhaps unnecessary length of the book considering the content of the plot and lack of real progression through the bigger storyline.

The world building was created in the form of learning about the history and magical system through the lectures and strategy challenges set out for the students, and whilst this isn’t a new concept I did feel that this worked in the context of the story, though it could be a little info dumpy at times. I felt that I could not dip in and out of this book and needed to dedicate time to sit down and read in larger intervals.

This being a 500 page book, sold as magic, fantasy and dragons I really did expect more action within the plot line. The dragons only made 3 appearances throughout, but it was clear as dragons weren’t supposed to be talked about by non-Edrei and the students were all studying to become Edrei that at least for this first book the dragons would not be making a significant impact to the story yet. Though I can imagine as the students progress and become members of the elite Order of Edrei, Dragons will make a more pivotal role in the plot line, its clear at least one member of the main cast will likely become a dragon rider as we had a glimpse of a connection between them and an out of sight dragon.

I ended up rating this as 4 stars, because I did genuinely enjoy the story, and I am intrigued as to where it will progress to, though I think this perhaps could have been cut down to a shorter book one in the series and still end up where we were by the end of the last page.

3.5/5
Thank you, Angry Robot, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. It really was a great start to a series that I hope keeps growing and getting better with time.
These are the things I loved about this book. Political, Magic system, Dragons, Morally Grey, different types of characters. The world building was my favorite out of these though. I thought that world building was on par with other well-established books on the market today.
This book has so much potential for a great series. I think this was a book to set up a future for the next books. Fantasy can be a tricky genre to complete a series because a first book can help or hurt a full series. With that, I think that this book set up the series well enough that I will continue reading the next books.
The academic environment was a bit weird to understand because everyone should be elite in this institution. That is not the case. This is the top school in this world and yet didn’t feel like it at times.
The character work was, I think, what drove this book but not always in a great way. At times the characters that you want to hear about were nowhere to be seen for chapters on end. It’s also difficult because this story had to have a plot and while the characters you don’t hear from much are main characters, they don’t fit into the plot as well in this first book.
This book has potential, but I feel that saying this book is like 2 other popular books will lose its steam when people actually read this book. I do not think this book should be compared to another because it could set it up for failure.
Could be a great book. Could be an awesome series. Let’s see where the author takes us.

What a great story! It’s what Fourth Wing tried to be! I loved most of the characters, although Jenne and her attitude annoyed me.
The opening hooked me in and the way the plots and povs wove together was great. I really hope there’s more dragons in book 2.

While it was great, the world-building needed work - especially with the magic system and houses.
Some of the school classes were bogged down with politics that weren’t explained well.

But the story was exciting and it was fast-paced
I devoured this book and cannot wait for the next one!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this, I’m rating it 4.0 stars.

I want to start by saying the beginning of the book with our introductions to the core characters felt very impactful and I was locked in. I honestly quite like our characters although they are flawed in different ways. As the story moves along and we get our insights into the academy where you train to become an Edrei, the stakes seem to heighten. The trials and tribulations our characters face are tough and you definitely see a competitive nature win out.

The last few chapters had me on edge, and I’m excited for the next book to see new alliances forged and new enemies made or revealed. I feel like book 1 has been a great intro into the world and it’s characters, but book 2 is going to be dropping us into the thick of it and I can’t wait.

The Ellyrian Code was a fun read for me. I enjoyed the different POVs from the different first year students, but I think Christina and Jadon were my favourites.
The magic system isn't completely explained yet. However, I assume there will be more in the next books as the first years come into their magic and discover what they are.
There is definitely an overarching mystery that deepens over the course of the book. I will definitely be checking out the sequels.