Guns of the Dawn follows Emily Marshwic's shifting worldview from gentlewoman to soldier as she is conscripted to serve in the army. I particularly enjoyed the subverted [heterosexual] army relationship trope: Emily is the soldier while her admin crush remains a civilian. There were also plenty of thought-provoking war-related themes like class divides, grief, and the aftermath of societies in conflict. 
This book was really low on the fantasy aspect, though. Magic is scarcely used, even in battle. The story reads more like an alternative history than a fantasy.

Something I found extremely distasteful was how this book handled rape. The characters who attempt rape are portrayed as one-dimensional caricatures who are merely evil and antagonistic from their first appearance. It felt like Tchaikovsky didn't want to shy away from the reality of sexual assault in the army, but this portrayal lacked nuance.