It always sucks to be disappointed in a book that has so many things going for it that I absolutely love. The setting is full of mysteries and wonders; I was fascinated by the way all the gods-related worldbuilding was handled. The characters are pretty cool, too; I especially loved Elo and his backstory with King Arren, but I also really felt for Kissen, Inara, and Skedi in equel measure. I loved how diverse this book is, especially all the disability rep. And at the same time, I really didn't like the story.

It's not that it's bad. On the contrary, the premise and the sequel hook at the end and multiple isolated parts of the journey between are all pretty cool! But it's like all the separate character arcs never blended into a single whole for me. The narrative often got bogged down in small details that obscured the things that really mattered, and the pacing alternated between painfully slow and super rocky. I can't really complain about the writing style, but it did little to immerse me.

To be honest, I'm now kind of wishing I could read another story set in this unique world, and probably even with the same characters (especially Elo and Kissen), but like... with a different plot? Maybe at a different point in their lives? Because honestly, even though the main plot got somewhat interesting in the final third of the book, I kept feeling like Elo's and Kissen's backstories / pasts had me more invested in them than the journey they were actually overtaking.