This book really was so sooo fantastic! I don’t know if I can put in to words just how much I enjoyed it. And at first I wasn’t really feeling it, but it picked up so quick, and the story got so exciting and fun and dangerous… I had to finish it quick!

So first of all, the characters. The character building and growth was definitely the most enjoyable part of the book. Because Vanja should be the blueprint for morally grey characters. She does bad things, she steals and lies and she hurts people, but she does out of a pure and unbridled need to survive. People HAVE hurt her… badly. And by the time you get to know her scars, you really can’t help but relate. But the thing that actually makes her a great character is that she actually makes up for her bad actions: she apologizes to the good people she hurt, she makes amends and she grows up to be such an amazing person. She comes to the realization that she is deserving of love (from others AND herself) and that she didn’t deserve all the bad things that happened to her.

The characters fight, and they hurt each other, but then they apologize (a really great and proper apology, admitting their mistakes and making up for them), and at the end they HELP each other grow to be better people. It’s such a healthy and realistic character dynamic that I absolutely loved with all my soul.

The romance? I loved ALL OF IT. I won’t say much, but Vanja and Emeric’s slow burn relationship, enemies to lovers, forced proximity … etc. gave EVERYTHING it needed. It was so nice to see ace/demi representation, and actually seeing it build up slowly and naturally. It was so cozy, and lovely. Plus, Ragne and Gisele? They were soooo cute together, such a nice surprise.

The world building was also very well done. There is political intrigue and corruption, but there is also magic and gods and powers beyond comprehension. The gods DO feel like people, with personalities and relationships with each other and the mortal world. You can tell that Death and Fortune love Vanja and actually see her as her daughter. But they’re gods, and can’t comprehend this mortal feeling, so they do the best they can to protect her, even if it might end up hurting Vanja in the long run. The magic system feels complete and fantastic.

I really like how queernormative the world is. Like in the first pages we learn of a gay gorvernor with a husband, and then later we learn about how Gisele likes women and that her parents would disapprove (not because they’re homophobic, but because it would limit her choices to bear an heir to the few Trans women in noble ranks). And then, even the gods themselves are queer. Like obviously Death and Fortune being basically married with a child, but also with the god Truth being gender fluid because truth itself is fluid, and so Justice asks them how to refer to themselves during the trial. It’s all small stuff, but I think very important overall.

Finally we have the plot. Like I said, it was slow at first but it picked up so quick! There were so many twists and turns I was always on the edge of my seat. I can see why SoC fans would like it, with all the intricate plans and heists and then adapting when the plan inevitably goes wrong. It was all so exciting and fun with beautiful writing.