And saving the best for last: Ashwood. Let's set aside the fact that there's a misplaced chapter in the print version for now. I'm not entirely sure how that happened or how to fix it. Of these four, I think Ashwood has the strongest emotional throughline and the one that's the most interwoven with the plot itself. That, I think, is the greatest narrative strength it has. The character arc and the emotions involved are directly tied to the plot, and they end up reinforcing each other.