all the political intrigue and depth in character relationships i always want to see with a fantasy. lots of people to meet and an interesting magic system that is in place. a lot of push/pull scenarios on what to do throughout for the main character that kept feeling high stakes regardless of when. lots of action and i cared about minor characters (there are a lot). ending seemed kind of sudden though.

the book didn't feel like it was dragging despite the length, I just wish some more questions were answered considering...everything. it is only the first book, but i still feel like I don't fully understand the magic system or history of how things got here when that seems pretty relevant to much of the plot.

highly recommend