Be the Serpent (October Daye, #16)
by Seanan McGuire
Backstory/plot ratio is incurably broken at this point. Too much plot recap, too many magic powers, too many reasons people can't use said magic powers to solve the current problem, and too much time moving side characters who aren't required for this adventure around the chessboard. There may be a reason fantasy novels don't usually focus on one character's story for 16+ books. Writing a book from another perspective would take some of the weight off Toby, who's increasingly unequal to the task, but all of the novellas from other characters' perspectives are as expository, identically-voiced, and ham-handed as possible. Maybe McGuire just wants to be free of this series at this point, and you know what? Let her rest.
I'm not invested in any of the revelations that have been set up for the next book(s), and it's become obvious who