I liked this one, but I wish there had been more of it - I feel like the world could use more development, and the characters - more growth, so that when the climax came it could be so much more of a sucker punch. 

This is a narrative that should have either been an epic, or stayed a short story or novella. I was immersed into this world and these characters, and I loved the magic system, but it all flew by. There was a lot of telling, rather than showing - it was hard to really root for the protagonist until later in the book, because they were just so dry. 

Still - wonderful prose, a non-binary aroace protagonist, a queer normative setting that doesn't feel saccharine, a stomach-churning final fight, and competent medical writing (I heard the author had been in the medical field at one point, so that tracks), all make this book a fun and punchy read. Turns out I have a new favourite subgenre - "medical fantasy", as the author calls it.