this is not a book i would have usually picked up. i only picked it up for a bookclub, and in some ways, i wish that i had dnfed it. i didn't really enjoy any of this book. ya high fantasy is not my go to genre, and i think this one just really didn't work for me. the world was confusing and not well built, in my opinion, and i didn't care about the characters at all. specifically, the romance deeply annoyed me and i actively did not want the characters to get together. the saving grace of this novel was really the writing. despite the chaos of the characters and the world building, i was able to pull several quotes that spoke to me because the writing was just so strong! while i have no intention of continuing this series, i am open to reading from this author again if the premise sounds more up my alley, because the writing was so delightful and well done.