I'm having a hard time writing this review because I have mixed feelings, and I'm not sure why...(use your words Sasha).

I really liked this novel! I really liked the magic, I really liked the society and political turmoil, and I really liked the honesty in the author's writing voice.

I was initially turned off by the footnotes, only because they were the bane of my existence in Undergrad. X_X But as the novel went on, I found myself dipping into the footnotes every now and again for a little background story. On the whole I ignored them as much as I could, but I understand how they would be incredibly useful for a super fan or someone who wants to devour as much of this story/world as possible. I'd maybe have preferred them to be released in a special edition of the novel, but then again maybe I'm missing the point and should have read the footnotes. However, I did not and here we are. A minor blip in my review.

I enjoyed how vast our cast of characters were, but did have trouble keeping track of who was who in some instances. Some characters were so vivid and fleshed out while others left me with little recognition at the mention of their name.

Once I got to page 200 I didn't put this novel down. I was sucked into the ride and wouldn't get off until it was over. I'm not sure the ending had the impact I wanted, but I'm definitely curious about the future. I'd say this novel gets at times a 4 and at other times a solid 4.5 rating. So I guess 4.25 to average it out.