i just listened to the audiobook in a single sitting lol wtf. so i think one of r. f. kuang's strongest abilities is making a book very readable. i was addicted to this book, couldn't stop listening to it.
now, i do think some of the criticism she has in here falls flat because it's not well explored, or if it is, it's done in an almost caricatured way. and the ending was weird, the "villain" reveal felt out of place.
regardless, as far as enjoyment goes, i really liked it. her writing is extremely readable.