This book was long but that's what I was in the mood for, so it finally got to get off my tbr and into my currently reading. In the beginning it was hard to keep the characters straight, especially with the use of first names and last names, and then it took me a while still to realize the connections between them. I do expect this in fantasy books and in very long stories, so I tried to remind myself to be okay with being confused for a bit, and over time I did get properly connected to the story and characters. I appreciated that the backstory of each character wasn't all given right in the beginning - by the time we learned a lot of the important details and history, I had a much firmer grasp on who each character was and understood their goals better. I think a lot of books with the multiple POV tend to infodump the backstory in the beginning, making it much more difficult to keep track of who is who and why they are important. In the beginning I could focus on the geography and world-building without having to try to keep as much track of individuals, outside of where in the world they were.

I enjoyed the political aspect of this book, along with the different viewpoints on cultures. I really loved learning the history of the dragons and of Virtuedom (and watching it be unraveled). Overall I think it had a very intriguing look at what was this universe's version of world relations, and the struggles of forming alliances amongst people of different viewpoints. I personally tend to enjoy these details more than action-adventure aspects, but I could see a lot of it being boring to other people reading the book.

I was most invested in Sabran and Ead's storyline (mainly due to the focus they got, but also because I found the religion aspect interesting) and Niclays Roos and his tragic life. I found Sabran and Niclays to both be "less likeable" amongst the cast of characters, but mainly due to having such set-in-stone viewpoints that required being changed to move forward - they both had probably the most character growth and I loved seeing how their choices changed through the story.

Details I appreciated in particular:

- Sabran and Ead's relationship felt very "realistic" compared to how these stories tend to go. They both had their own goals and responsibilities and I was actually happy to see they chose to sacrifice in their relationship rather than one of them having to sacrifice in their goals or their people, with the intention of having their HEA after their work is done.
- How often the characters have to admit they're wrong or accept differences in others for the greater good (Admitting Trude's methods were misguided but admitting her goal of working with the East was necessary, Sabran slowly accepting that their religion was mainly on lies, Niclays not making the same mistake of sacrificing others for his own well-being and finally admitting he wants to live rather than just exist, and not out of spite for Sabran)
- It was just nice that the "unwanted" spouses were still caring and nice people. It would have been much easier to have Sabran's husband or Jannart's wife be annoying and cruel, but I appreciated that they were still real people who could love their companion and be loved in return, even if not necessarily romantic. In a world with political marriages it is nice to see people still be companions even when it is an arrangement.

Bonus points - I listened to the audiobook for this and Liyah Summers was fantastic. Her narration was so unique for each character that it really helped me keep up with the story. Even if I didn't necessarily remember the name or viewpoint I was currently in - especially in the beginning - the narration helped me keep track of where I was, when I otherwise could have gotten lost much easier in details.