Daniel Abraham

I really enjoyed this one. Its strange, because looking back on it, there wasn't a lot that happened, but for some reason, it didn't feel slow to me. Perhaps because the way the author writes the characters is so interesting, that they are able to make even the most mundane activities interesting. A lot of the story relies on nuance between relationships and politics. The magic system introduced is fascinating and feels very natural, even though it is actually a very small part of the world. All of the characters were interesting and had depth. There was not a single character whose point of view I didn't enjoy. Another major point in this book's favor is how beautiful the prose is. Because aesthetics are important in this world, the characters speak in a poetic way, but the way they speak and perform the communicative hand gestures also show their class levels or education. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.… (mer)