Wexler is one of the best writers of epic fantasy currently writing and I wish I saw his name on awards lists more often. He's not an innovator precisely, he's the kind of writer who looks at a familiar narrative and says "you know, we could make this better" and then does and it's a joy to read because of the craft.
Part of this story is the farm child swooped up for their magical powers, taken away and trained, and then coming of age into a political morass where she has to support the good guys in her order who want to help people over the evil politicking people. The other part of this story is the child who sees the evil that the powers that be can do and grows up to want burn the system down. Wexler's genius lies in how he weaves together both familiar stories.