I'd read a version of this on AO3 a couple years back (and absolutely adored it) and i did really enjoy this too.

pros:
- i love the slow reveal about Taam and Jainan's relationship, and how the plot all steadily unfurls. Maxwell reveals it all slowly and really well and it draws you in throughout.
- there was a lot of world-building, which was pretty interesting, especially in relation to the Auditor, the galaxy link, etc. i also enjoyed how tight the plot is - the Tau field is briefly mentioned early on and becomes significant, as do the remnants, and Jainan's quarterstaff abilities. It all felt satisfyingly tidy.
- i do adore Bel, she's a wonderful character.
- i love the way Kiem and Jainan's relationship comes together steadily but inevitably, and the turning point when they realise that they actually really like each other. They're such different people but they do fit like puzzle pieces. 
- i really like how Jainan blossoms across the book. He and Kiem both feel like such real individuals with their own motivations and reactions, which always felt authentic.
- the writing is beautiful in places, and very vivid.
- the villain of Aren, so unsuspecting, is brilliant. He's not what you'd expect from a bad guy and that's how he catches everyone off guard.
- it's also really funny at times, with Kiem's bright humour and Jainan's drier wit.
- i also really like Kiem's character for how different it is from the usual MCs you see in books. He's not quiet and introverted, he's big, he loves people, and his sphere of skills in the social. He's so well written and i really enjoyed it.

cons:
- i... didn't like the new bits a huge amount. i found the world-building a bit dragging at the start, i'm sorry. I had to focus really hard to understand and follow it, with how much detail and names are thrown at you, and it didn't feel it benefitted the story all that much. 
(- i think overall, my hopes were set a bit too high. I do wish that i could read the original version and see whether my memory of it holds up or not.)
- i was really disappointed that the skiing scene had been cut. i really liked that scene.

so overall, i did like this a lot, but it wasn't quite the absolute 5* that i was hoping for, unfortunately. My expectations were probably too high.