Absolutely incredible writerly skill! Mad worldbuilding, complex POV and seamless plot - seriously, three+ primary viewpoints and distinct locations with their own unique rules and values... Killer. Thriller-paced epic fantasy with the emotional immediacy of YA and the complexity of literary fiction. Mind. Blown. Her past work was pretty spectacular and genre-surpassing too, but she's really outdone herself this time! Great emotional development in all of the key cast, complex emotions that play out and reveal hidden depths as the book progresses, and a killer ending that wraps up the key events in a way that manages to be surprising based on careful expectation setup, and proceeds to hook the next book without feeling like an unfair cliffhanger. I did find it a bit hard to keep track of all of the side characters and their roles/motivations part way through, since each of the three main locations and 3+ progtagonists come with a full supporting cast, but there were enough cues for me to keep going and put the pieces together. Tragic that the next book's not out until autumn! (But also, wow, fast publication schedule!) For some reason, I sort of forget about Kendare Blake in between books, which is really unfair. Her work is incredibly well crafted, brilliantly paced and entertaining, and only getting better!
