I'm a Holmberg Homegirl. She crafts unique lore and worlds for all her books, but it's never heavy-handed or hard to follow. She drops it into the plot just enough to provide context, but not lecture the reader on the entire political structure of the empire. Having read much of her work, it is formulaic, but it's a formula I wrap around me like a cozy blanket. This novel was particularly fun and out there, but still had the emotional tenor she brings to the fantasy-light romance genre.