Halfway through reading this, I was bored and not interested in the series at all. But then it got a lot better. The world building is quite well done, and the intrigue is complex, even when you're not being kept guessing. Not a fast-paced page turner, but an enjoyable story in the end.

I'm torn about the female characters in this book. It's a traditional fantasy male-dominated society, and the plot of this book largely revolves around at least one female rebelling against that. At the same time, her rebellion ends up being evil and destabilizing, and certainly doesn't bring about any lasting change, which I thought was disappointing. I think there are a few peripheral female characters who have the potential to be awesome and strong characters, so I hope we see more of them in the next book.