I thought I sucked in HHW...

... because so few of my choices in chapter 2 had an effect on stats, so I thought that maybe I missed all the right choices. So I looked at the walkthrough, and was surprised to find that yes, most choices had no effect on stats - and the effects on relationships don't seem to be generally shown explicitly.

I actually really like that, it seems the stats take the back stage in this book, relative to the plot?

Do you generally prefer more or fewer stat-affecting choices in RC books? (Before HHW I was reading LOS where practically every choice gave points, which was also fun!)

Also, got to say, HHW is amazing, I'm surprised it doesn't seem to be talked about so often -- in terms of writing style it's the best I've read on RC so far, and the world building is so subtle but so complex and intriguing.