surprisingly good??? i did NOT expect the story to be written this way and i LOVED IT it's like puzzle pieces being put back together through murder idk how to explain it but it gave me the same vibes as my favorite books (baccano) and i think it was really well executed! 
so many mysteries all being linked, some being unresolved but not really necessary, it's nice to get open mysteries too when its not the focus of the plot
i have to say the cast of characters is GIGANTIC but!! they're so well written and so realistic you can never forget who they are or what their role is in the story i loved all of them (except these 2 bitches who think they're the Betters)
also the ending ?? unexpected in the most positive way like if it had gone another way i would have just hated it, it made so much sense that this little storyline had this much effect on the story 

i think this book is either hit or miss, it depends of the storytelling people enjoy. if you like character focused stories when they're not really the plot but they kinda are, stories about people living in the aftermath of a revolution that didn't change anything after a year, an evil mastermind that really isn't the main focus but his work is, and getting pieces of information to put together slowly then go for it!!!! 
(yeah and if you hate when magic systems are not explained or clear you will not like some aspects :/)

I wanted more about the cats and their secret communes of meeting in the abandoned theater. Not whatever this mess was. I read it... but I still couldn't tell you what it was about. 

It’s not about cats. The cats are basically scenery. It’s so slow, and the characters are flat with little/no growth. If you’re looking for something to test your patience, this is it. You wait and wait while nothing happens for 200 pages and then -bam- it’s over, you get a couple plot points wrapped up (kind of), and you still don’t get the whole cat thing.  I’m just thankful I borrowed it from the library and didn’t pay for it. 

Very good, but a lot of detail, and a bit confusing. You really need to pay attention with your whole brain to get what's going on. I'm not a huge fan of literary anything, particularly literary fantasy, but this is one of the better ones.