What a wild ride of a book. I was intrigued from the start and just wanted to keep reading. I fell into a little reading slump after finishing my last book, but I still managed to read this in six days which shows how moreish it was. I probably would've read it in only a couple days otherwise.

First and foremost, I really enjoyed the writing. It was both atmospheric and simplistic at the same time and the world building was woven nicely through the narrative. In saying this, I would have liked a little more explanation early on as to the roots of society and how the world works. We got enough that I knew the basics, such as the Hunduns being sentient mechanical beings, but I wanted to know a little more about that so I felt like I understood the world a bit more. The battle scenes were very well-written and exciting, and made me feel immersed in the action.

The characters were complex and had so many layers. The development was also quite good, with Zetian never losing her fire, desire for revenge or bloodlust but still evolving and changing her views as certain components of them were challenged. All the characters were morally grey, and though I didn't always agree with the methods or all their actions, I still couldn't help rooting for them. But I think part of the appeal of these characters is the fact that their intentions are good but they may not get there without doing bad things, and the story is self-aware in the fact that the characters know they're not always good people, despite fighting for a good cause, and I liked this aspect.

And that ending. My god. I am still reeling and trying to comprehend what happened. The ending and epilogue were by far the most wild and exciting part of the book, and it really blew my mind and set up the second book amazingly. 

Although I, personally, did really enjoy this, I can see how this book isn't for everyone. It's violent, on-the-nose, political and action-packed, so if this doesn't sound like your thing then this may not be for you. Personally, though, I did enjoy the questions this story posed regarding gender roles in society and the impact of humans on the world, even if some of the violence and death in the battle scenes took me back a bit. I think, though there are a couple things that could've been improved, this is a great debut novel and I'm really excited to read the second novel when it comes out!