One unexpectedly pleasant surprise I found with this book was the horror-esque vibes that it contained. Events that take place very early in the book are painted quite horrifically, and it really leant a dark vibe to the book that I had not expected going into the book, which really worked for it and drew me in to the setting.
The magic system was very enthralling, with the Knights who manifest their unique weapons according to who they are, to the wild magic such as what Math possesses compared to the necromantic magic of Kaiataris, who must tie her magic to objects rather than cast it in the moment. I loved the diversity and variety of the magic, different varieties with differing rules and it had me wanting to dive into the details to learn more.
It was also fascinating to see the effects of history and the distance of time. Kai presents the interesting perspective of how different reality is perceived from her time versus in the present, Math’s time. Her version of events makes it clear just how much information has been skewed across centuries which was entirely fascinating to see play out. It goes to show just how easy it is for the intent of something to steadily be corrupted as time passes and the original message presented steadily alters until it becomes something entirely different.
I will say the book felt like it dragged a bit for me around the middle. I started losing interest and felt like it was filled with unnecessary and repetitive moments that had me ready to get to the end. The end itself picked up again and said some pretty stand out moments which drew me in again, but this book wasn’t quite what I’ve come to love and expect from Jenn Lyons.
