a lot of people think Shallan is a terrible character that isnt worth any screen time. I think it's a tough look for them, but to each their own.
I think it was a really balanced ending - the genius of it was that it was making the best of a bad situation, not that it was a genuinely good option. A high risk gambit that has high reward potential. A David strategy, so to speak, against Goliath. It's not without flaws, and it wasn't perfect, but that was the whole fracking point.
I'm trying not to sound too critical but sometimes I read people being critical of things (not just this book, but in other very popular stories and art too) and it sounds like they want the author to hold their hand through everything and spell it out for them. to me, as I've read that specific critique, that's what it sounds like they actually want. Just my two cents