I was all-in on the premise for this one and while I had a good time, I don't think I'm going to be picking up the sequel. Everything was okay or good, but not great. The characters were good, but a big cast almost always comes with a lack of depth, and I didn't feel like any of the characters embodied the villainy I felt I was promised. The magic system was unique and interesting, but I feel like it could have been described more. The worldbuilding was fine, but I would have loved for the authors to get into more of the politics and implications of the magical power system in place. 

The end of this book happens in pretty much the middle of the plot, and yet I don't feel overly compelled to pick up the second book in the duology, so take that as you will. I think my expectations for books that get compared to The Hunger Games are just too high these days.