I think this series has promise but Engines of Empire just has too much going on. If I were to compare it to something I would say that this is Dandelion Dynasty meets James Cameron’s Avatar. We have guilds ✅ fantasy magic ✅ Magic powered tech ✅ multi viewpoints from all around the empire ✅  arcane native magic ✅ rideable eagles ✅ an empire in turmoil ✅ a murder mystery ✅ betrayals and political schemings ✅ everything but the kitchen sink ✅ 

Reading this was almost like watching an epic action adventure movie. And it was fun to read and fast paced. But I didn’t always understand character motivation or the magic systems. Once the separate threads starting coming together, it was a non stop race to the end and that was rewarding. However, the book could have benefitted from more focus and spending a little more time to slow down and sit with characters and process the world. 

I will still be reading the sequel, Engines of Chaos. I’m interested to see where everything is going, plus the world is epically fun, I just need more page time to process.