I loved this dark, gothic fantasy with a complex and twisty female main character. I love the unique magical structure that Rachel Gillig created - the world building is a breath of fresh air compared to the vague general "magical powers" that most fantasy novels employ. I enjoyed the fact that Gillig put so much effort into the fantasy part of this novel and built the complex relationships and unique aspects of each character such that the romance subplot felt genuine and realistic rather than forced. I appreciate how morally grey the characters are here - their motivations are real and complicated and multi-faceted, so no one feels one dimensional. This book builds with rapid speed to an incredible crescendo and I was so relieved that I already had the second book in the duology immediately accessible, because that ending! It was missing a little something from me in order to be a five star read but I really enjoyed it nonetheless.