Me: well that was kinda dumb 
Also me: time to read the second one! 

Easy, quick read and palate cleanser for me after a bit of a reading slump. I think the premise was really interesting and the last third of the book was especially compelling. It was definitely entertaining and a page turner, and I will 100% be reading the sequel since the end is sheer cliffhanger. 

I wish the characters were better developed - the side characters in particular were inconsistent to me and I had a hard time keeping track of people's motivations and alleigances. Also total lack of diversity and I didn't get a sense of much growth from anyone really. Hopefully that's developed in the sequel but I'm not holding my breath. 

It was also fairly formulaic, predictable, and fell back on a lot of tropes that I find pretty tired these days. She relied heavily on telling us rather than showing us, even while she laid out plenty of more subtle clues to the direction of the story. And the paragraph break before a single line for emphasis?

Really drives me crazy. 🙃 

It felt like a strong premise that was ultimately undercut by conforming to the style of popcorn fantasy books that are really popular right now. I think the author's prose and world building have promise. She needs to trust her audience more to follow her lead and to show rather than tell.