I was warned going in that this book dealt with some heavy topics, and yet I was still not prepared for to in the end. Since finishing, I’ve just been sitting here trying to figure out how on Earth I could possibly write a proper review without giving everything away. Quite honestly, I still don’t really know how to do it. What I can say is that this story was incredibly well written. I think M.L. Wang’s prose and style might be one of my favorites for the year. It’s so nuanced and emotional, yet she captures brevity and annoying tendencies in characters really well. I wanted to smack Sciona many times at the beginning of the story because she is so unwittingly bigoted against the Kwen. Yet, that’s all she knows, so it’s hard to fully blame her (even though I really wanted to at times). It was refreshing to see her realizing these prejudices the more she interacted with Thomil. Thomil, who is my favorite character and also breaks my heart. His story is just so tragic from start to finish. The losses and hardships he go through are vast, and it truly made my chest ache a little. The ending was beautiful and painful, with a hopeful note for the future. All in all, this story didn’t quite fulfill my need for happy escapism, but I really don’t think it meant to, and I absolutely loved it anyways.