I loved this book almost instantly. The writing style, though some may find slow, was exactly my cup of tea. It was at times conversational, historical, and personal. And we moved seamlessly from character to character, in whichever way best served the narrative.

The plot was a slow-burn political intrigue, and the politics kept me interested. That’s not always the case. It was like reading a game of chess.

And the characters! I found Rory and the Vizier yo be the most compelling characters, and I couldn’t get enough. The other characters were equally well-rounded, thigh Zhang and Thorsdottir occasionally fell a little flat.

What made me give a 4-star review and not a 5 was because of the ending. For all of the careful maneuvering of the first 75%, the end was far too rushed.
Spoilers***
After Rory was captured, I expected more to happen. And a few interesting things certainly do, but then we’re transported three months into the future, and a somewhat neat (and predictable) ending occurs. There is a little bit of conflict, but it wraps up conveniently.

And THEN, after the book ends the narrator basically gives us a “happily ever after” synopsis. Albeit in line with the other fairy tale elements, it seemed like a cop out. The author will have to do some maneuvering in order to begin the following book. If the front cover didn’t claim it to be a chronicle, I’d be (semi)satisfied that the book was a stand-alone