My jumble of thoughts after finishing:

Great character building, Sabran's development was gorgeous. The queer representation was brilliant, amazing detail within histories. I loved how each story intertwined into the main arc. The way it was left leaves room for a compelling next book, though the pacing I felt could've been better. The first half was developing characters and setting the scene, helping the reader understand the politics of this world. I felt all the action was condensed - the final battle could've been drawn out to match the hype.
BUT despite this, I enjoyed this book 100% and I will be reading its prequel very soon.