Wow, this was completely different to what I expected. Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars. I had some issues with it that pertained more to pacing of the story, but all in all, this book was definitely an interesting and intricate read. The world building was seriously some of the coolest I have read and a couple of the characters were really enjoyable.

Starting off- world building. This world was so different to anything I had ever seen before. It was confusing at first because we are kind of thrown into the middle of the world with Csorwe, but it is very easy to get your bearings quickly and then find yourself captivated. There are different worlds and cities, different gods and races and creatures. I don't know how A.K kept them all straight, but she did a beautiful job. One of the things I really liked about all of these worlds and settings that A.K gives us is the different races. Oftentimes in fantasies we just see humans, elves, dwarves, and that's about it. Here our main character is completely unique when compared with any other fantasy I have read in the past few years. In fact, she has tusks!! I just thought the setting was one of the biggest strengths to this.

Next up- characters. Some of the characters I had a little bit of difficulty understanding and getting to know. Csorwe was one of those. At times, I found her vividly entertaining and at times I didn't really understand what was going on in her head or what her motivations were. She confused me at times, though perhaps that was because she herself was confused and struggling to find her home and her purpose. I did enjoy her but not nearly as much as I enjoyed.....

TAL! Wow, I love Tal. And not because he is a good guy. No, he's annoying and selfish but he was meant to be. I thought he was very well-written and a compelling and engaging character. He constantly had me chuckling with his quips and just the way he spoke and reacted to the events surrounding him and Csorwe.

Honestly, there are several amazing characters, and although I didn't always understand them and I certainly could not trust them (Oranna cough) I really had a lot of fun reading about them.

My biggest issue was the pacing of this story. The book spans YEARS, something I am not used to in my reading. It made it difficult for me to connect at times, because it seemed like so much had happened and so much character growth had occurred off the page. I think this was another part of my problem with Csorwe. This could, of course, just be my personal preference and I am sure that there are plenty of people who wouldn't mind it.

All in all, however, this was an enjoyable read! I definitely recommend this to you if you are a fan of more detailed and high fantasy. I felt like this one book could be enjoyed as a standalone if you wanted, but the ending did leave plenty more to be discovered and dealt with in the future installments!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this free copy in exchange for an honest review!