So......I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm super torn on this one, because representation matters! and what this book is trying to do is so important, and I value that so much, but in the end, it's still a book, and I feel like it was trying too hard, so hard in fact, that the story got a little lost in the trying. It's somewhat of a little bit of a jumbly mess of transgender representation, LGBTQ+ representation, a F/F love story representation, that the world building, magic building and plot just kind of got lost in the love story. Kalanthe Ironheart and Olsa Rhettsdaughter are in love. But Kalanthe Ironheart has to pay off her knight contract, or something like that, because, of something?, and the dual timeline of some quest they went on to destroy the old god (they're heroes of the realm, did you know that?), while simultaneously switching back to current day Kalanthe trying to find a husband to satisfy her knight debt while Olsa is running around being thief of the realm and the godsgem isn't done with these heroes yet..... it's all pretty confusing. It's not a bad read, it has moments of cuteness, and the story ends up tied up with a neat little finished bow of happiness for everyone, but I just feel like in trying to be a book of representation, the story got lost. The story should be the main point, and if someone happens to be something, all the better, let it flow with the story line. It doesn't have to jump screaming off the page every single chapter because then it becomes patronizing instead of representative. Just my two cents.