People compared this book to Six of Crows and I went into it thinking it was another great heist book. But it was just so confusing.

The first half of the book, I had no idea what was even going on. The magic system is poorly described let alone executed. I've still no idea who or what or why about it. What's the limits? No idea. We're told there's Forging. It's related to five fragments in five cities. It's an art of making objects from other substances. Those objects will have both functional and magical properties. But we're supposed to believe those skills are innate because no one is ever taught how to use them, wonder how they're used, or need training, it seems. It's just kind of there. 

The narrative was so confusing. I spent so long trying to figure out what was going on, why the characters did as they did, and sometimes even the scene itself was confusing. The writing is beautiful but the consequence is a very confusing narrative. And that just ruins most of the book for me. The good thing is, the book handles some problematic issues like slavery in the background without it overtaking. The romance too was in the background but absolutely there, never taking over the story but never really fading either.

The characters were lovely though! I definitely felt that the characters were well-fleshed out. Their dynamics just made the book worth finishing! How do you write an angsty character without ever making it the whole narrative? Clearly this is how you do it!

Would I listen to it again? No, it was way too confusing.