WOW. JUST WOW.

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I wasn't even thinking about reading it to begin with. Yet here we are.

This is one of those books where you should know as little as possible going in, so I won't give you a synopsis. Instead, I'm gonna leave you with my messy it's-1am-and-i-just-finished-reading-a-5star-book thoughts.

I'm still amazed with the crafting of this book. Every fantasy requires a high dose of imagination from the writer, they're building up a whole new world out of thin air, after all. But this book. This book. It baffles me how someone can come up with a world so intricate as this one with this level of detail. It's not just the world-building, it's the magic system, the politics... The whole thing is chef's kiss perfection.

And the characters. Yes, there were some council members we didn't really get to see much of, but the characters we did get to know had layers to them, a backstory, I knew who they were and why they did what they did. Let's talk about The Lady and all the work that went into her as a character. Do I hate her? Do I feel sorry for her? Is she the villain? Aren't we not all villains in someone's story? The way she was crafted was so great I can't really say anything else because I don't have words.

Everything in this book was brilliant and unlike anything I have ever read. I think that's all I need to say.