I have this problem now where I have to clarify every book I read in terms of reading medium and location lest that compromise my review. For about two weeks, this was my kindle book I read while giving my toddler a bath (read as my toddler trying to give me a bath and dumping water on my head, but I digress). Which is not strictly the ideal reading situation for things like narrative immersion.
In some ways, this book held up extremely well. The relationships were lovely in a heartbreaking way and the supporting characters, in particular, had an emotional heft to them that I appreciated. I loved that the romance wasn't forced, but evolved naturally. (Which, incidentally, contrasts with what I feel like a heterosexual relationship would have been like under the circumstances.) The world-building felt simultaneously cluttered and shallow; there was a fair amount of description, but it also felt like surface painting laid over a mist. And while tropes are not a bad thing, this book did occasionally feel like it lifted plot points out of The Toast's excellent "How To Tell If You Are In A High Fantasy Novel". The pacing also felt off, but this is where I start to doubt my own experiences because 20 minute toddler baths will do that to your sense of narrative progression.
Anyway, it was a sweet story that could have done more, but did pretty well nonetheless.