Yea, it is sort of a necessary evil, when you think about it. Everyone has their favorites and so no matter what someone will be wishing their favorite gets "more" attention. All you can really hope for is that the pacing remains solid, which I agree with you that Cosy does a great job of keeping the pace.
I think I mentioned it before in a comment, but I would love to know more about the clumsy white-haired girl, Anabella.