3.5 stars, because it's been a long, long time since I've read a speculative book that has been so convoluted and so complex but also so compelling at the same time.

Like, I was genuinely angry at times reading this, especially after the 50% mark, when my head was still swimming with the names of what felt like hundreds of characters and all the weird world building that makes keeping all the characters straight SO MUCH HARDER. And the family tree DID NOT HELP! THIS WORLD BUILDING IS INSANE AND I LOVE IT BUT I ALSO HATE IT.

I have to give Jenn Lyons credit for setting up this story in a very compelling way. We have two timelines that make this feel like I'm reading both book 1 and book 2 at the same time. One timeline begins Kihrin's journey as a teen as he is plucked out of poverty when he's discovered to be a secret son of a powerful family. The other timeline takes later, with Kihrin recounting a different part of his story that happens after the first timeline. Both timelines run in short chapters that make for a dizzying read. I was compelled to keep moving because I wanted to know what was going on, but at the same time as I was getting answers, I was just left plain stumped.

Because this world building is insanely complex. INSANELY so. I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but I can deal with complex world building - I <i>enjoy</i> it in my speculative fiction. Give me weird shit and weird worlds and interesting things! But for most of this book I spent my time trying to remember who different characters were and what Kihrin's role was supposed to be (I STILL DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH KIHRIN OH MY GOD JUST HELP ME PLEASE MY HEAD HURTS!!!) in the grand scheme of this story. There's just so much. There's so much. I've been reduced to a hot mess.

But I'm totally moving on to book two, because I need to know what happens next in this weird, weird world and I guess I'm a hot mess that wants more.