I'm such a sucker for explorations of corruption in governmental and/or religious systems, and this has both. Belimai and Harper are compelling characters on their own and together, and there's a sense of both characters having a fully fleshed out history, even outside of what is alluded to in the text. That extends beyond Belimai and Harper; the worldbuilding is both solid and well executed enough for it to fade to the background and give way to the story and characters.
The prose and strength of the characters of this book is more than enough to compensate for the fact that the plot, somewhat comedically, hinges on

Spoiler

Harper having a prodigal kink and a blood kink. This plot would not exist if Harper wasn't a complete freak, and I respect that.

I find that often times, books that shift between first and third person feel jarring, but the choice to write Belimai's section in first person and Harper's in third feels tonally appropriate for their characters.
This book's ending is incredibly satisfying, but the world is so lush and the characters so interesting that I would have loved to see more of them.