I read this story over the course of one weekend. To me it is a gripping story with complex characters and plot, a lot of political elements and really pretty art. The character motivations are the best part as there really are no "sides" in this. Every character, be it ally or antagonist has unique goals and loyalty. The characters also very much act according to their personal aspirations, though I can understand it might get confusing with such a big and complex cast. The magic system is okay, it doesn't really catch my interest, but it does what it has to. I feel like thisseries would suffer a lot from a weekly reading. There are many flashbacks in this which offer a ot of additional perspective and information, but they would also massively break the engagement for a reader who has to take such long breaks.

A lot of this story has tragic elements. Be warned, the hurt is going on for a while. The tragedy felt well executed though.

The ending fell a bit short imho.