This book does a good job of subverting classic Western fairytale tropes, while bringing older and lesser-known fairytale elements to a new audience. It has a good balance of plot elements, and doesn't let its sub-plots shove their way into the spotlight when the main plot is what needs to move forward. Its protagonists are smart but can't see the big picture until near the end, and its antagonists see the whole chess board but lose their grip on the little things that keep a game going. It's a compelling opposition, and it makes the reader consider the value of both large and small scale aspects of life and mortality. Some characters and plot elements that felt unresolved even when the text explicitly specified what happened to them, but otherwise this is a very good book well worth reading.