Update from 2022 reread:

I enjoyed Foundryside a lot. I think it did help that I understood the magic/tech system better. I really like fantasy/sci-fi mixed books, so that was fun. I still found the pacing a little off at times, but I enjoyed the characters a lot more this time round. I'm looking forward to actually continuing on this time.

I liked the audiobook narrated by Tara Sands pretty well, though I wasn't super fond of her voice for Clef, but overall the audio was pretty easy to listen to.

Original review:
I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to finish this book because it was fascinating - but such is life with a young child. Foundryside has such a cool magic system, world, and thoughts to share about it. I found myself debating whether it’s truly fantasy or whether it’s sci-fi. I think it comes down in fantasy but for fans of both, it has a big sci-fi feel to it in some ways. Scriving is fascinating and I liked Sancia as a character. The ending was fast paced and filled with cool revelations that make me excited to continue on.

For the minuses for me: I thought the story had a heist aspect - and it does - but it doesn’t turn up until halfway through the book which felt a bit odd. It also made the pacing a little off at times. I didn’t care that much about the characters besides Sancia - and sort of Gregor - but that doesn’t really bother me. Finally, the swearing…the fake bad language…but in such an expressive way that the whole book feels kinda foul mouthed…I didn’t like it. I didn’t think it was necessary either. For the record generally I like invented in-world swearing, but the tone of this was wacky.

Overall, really enjoyed it, and looking forward to seeing what comes next. I have a feeling some of my favorite tropes are just around the corner.