I really liked the characters and the 'interlude' chapters really gave something unique to the story and kept me turning the pages. The main thing that didn't work for me was the ending. It felt a bit too unbelievable and shoehorned in only because the author had a specific scene in mind, but to me, it felt forced and 'what would look more cool' type of a moment.
I'll definitely check out more stuff from this author.