The characters in this book were so well done. I'm always first drawn to a story because of the characters and then the rest of my enjoyment grows from there. These characters were so wonderfully flawed and so multi-faceted that I just couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what would happen with everyone. We follow a few characters through this novel and I loved them all. We have the fallen and disgraced for military commander who has now returned because of a murder that he wants solved. We have his assistant/best friend who is dealing with her own family drama as a bastard child and trying to help solve the murder, and then we have a glass worker who is developing a new technology that will change everything forever. This was all just wonderful. I will definitely be picking up book two when it is released. Since this is my first McClellan book, I'll be heading over to another series while I want for book two to come out. Highly recommend for anyone who likes epic fantasy.