While this was fairly novel for a fantasy novel—I struggle to remember the last time the majority of a novel took place in a jail cell, for instance—and the world building being done via this Chant vocation: a person concerned primarily with stories and their function across kingdoms and lands, it still does feel quite static. The old man is conniving and there’s plenty of obstacles introduced at what feels like the right parts. I just can’t say it ever progressed from being interesting enough to keep reading, but not much more. I think I just prefer characters that are a lot more active, generally.

I’ll probably still read the second book, which I already own, as I did enjoy the ending and I didn’t find anything disagreeable. It’s great having a protagonist outside the normal archetypes and it was queer inclusive explicitly.