So I can never decide whether to factor "devoured over the course of a shabbat" into my ratings or not. Because I expected to with this one and I didn't and I'm not sure if that's because we went out for lunch or because the book, while fun and fascinating, didn't always grab my attention.
Anyway, I finished it this Shabbat on the floor of a hotel outside the room where my kid was sleeping...like you do. It helped to be stuck there, which is its own kind of critique of the book.
The story itself is fascinating, both Chakraborty's use of the original myth (thank you for posting it on Twitter!) and the details she constructs. This is a book that shines in its world building and its willingness to be complex. It reminds me of VE Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy. I also liked the characters, all of whom I wanted to hug and punch in about equal measure.
I think this book's biggest issue is pacing: there were times when the timeline seemed to jump rapidly and, though I understood why we skipped over several days of boring travel, I felt as though the book had set me up to jump right back in where we'd last seen out intrepid heroes and we just didn't. I also felt some of the shifts between Alizayd and Nahri were less than ideal--I would have liked longer with each, but I also resent books that jump around too much.
Anyway, this was an ambitious first novel and, for all that Chakraborty is still trying to find her feet as a stylist, the story itself is great and I look forward to seeing what happens next.