I wholeheartedly agree. I use my e-reader (a Kobo Libre Colour) daily. I still buy physical books sometimes but it is nice being able to have such a small and light device with a few choices on board. I have had many e-readers and tablets over the years and the only one I have had that I do not recommend is Boox. I got the Palma and the screen broke within 24 hours and they said it was my fault? I sold it at a yard sale. I have had kindles and Kobos with no issue for decades at this point. They are well built and worth having around. I prefer Kobo at this point for similar reasons to yourself. I don’t use custom firmware but I do use Nickel Menu to get to the games that Kobo decided to hide away on the latest OS. Also great for things like inverting colors or rotating on the fly. Hope you get a lot of life and enjoyment out of yours as well!
I really love it! I have read manga and craft books on it and the color is nice. I upgraded from an Aura H2O 2 and it was well worth it for me. Don’t expect full color but even with it being “washed out” I still feel like the color adds a lot.