But no, Sally Lockhart is still a fantastic character, and I still love Mary Malone, Ma Costa, and Mrs Coulter — they're tropey, but they're tropes with heart.

Agreed. But yeah, I don't think I'll be reading this one ever, despite loving so many of his different works (his kid's books as a kid - and probably if I reread them now!, His Dark Materials, Sally Lockhart, Clockwork, his non-fantasy, etc etc). Such a shame.