I enjoyed this. It's not a quick read - it's a bit meandering - but I appreciated the world building and the stories and folklore told throughout. It was atmospheric and a bit dark. Évike and Gáspár were both characters I could root for. The romance is a small part of it, but I had fun with how that all played out - there's plenty of enemies in force proximity and yearning. I also liked the magic and the action - it's a bit violent and grotesque in places. It's a standalone book too, which I always welcome.