In the last novel, Paige realized the only way to change the system was to lead the system so she put her name in the ring to be the next Underqueen and won the battle. She also allied with the Ranthen (the faction of Rep that doesn’t want to oppress humans) and exposed the existence of the Rephaim to the London Syndicate.
While she may have won the fight and has a loyal contingent of mime lords under her, there is still grumbling in the ranks about her legitimacy with some still wanting Jaxon instead of her. Tensions are also rising as the scanner technology is getting more sophisticated, forcing more and more syndicate members to go underground, unable to safely be out in the day without threat of being identified and caught by government agents.
In her efforts to strike a blow against Scion and protect her people, Paige ends up on a trail across Great Britain to dismantle the Senshield system once and for all. I enjoyed seeing the other voyants that were introduced as part of this journey, and how those communities interacted
Arcturus plays a bigger part in this novel than the previous one but Paige and he must balance any interest they have in each other with the importance of their alliance, and neither side would look fondly on a relationship.
As much as these stories focus on rebellion and resistance against an authoritarian regime, that also isn’t the only or even ultimate threat. While Paige’s immediate focus is on Scion, Shannon doesn’t entirely let the reader forget this, and tends to either have blighters at least appear or be mentioned as facing the Ranthen in battles. She does the same here, showing that threat, and why it is so important to overcome Scion sooner rather than later since Scion’s oppression is preventing Paige and everyone from preparing for the real threat or trying to find the answers behind that mystery.
Probably more of 3.5 than a 4 at this point; as much as I enjoyed it while reading 2-3 weeks later, it just hasn’t stuck with me as much as other novels in the series have.