I like the epistolary chapters so far, though I don't really believe that any serious academic would release new work in a form that looks like the rest of the book.

I knew she was gritty. In fact, I think Gentle wins the prize for least accurate name ever. I wonder if it's her private joke?

My main historical gripe is that "ash" meaning cinders and "ash" meaning the tree aren't the same word in Latin, and as far as I know aren't the same word in medieval French either, which makes the description of the way she chose her name a little confusing.