This was an interesting book. I went into it kind of expecting a battle with spells type of book but it's more of a political/social view of a world of magic. I loved/hate how similar the social conflict mirrors those hat are happening now in 2017. 
 It wasn't particularly fast paced but I'm amazed with how much ground was covered in a single book. I was also pretty surprised...yet not surprised by the ending (if that makes sense). I was paying so much attention to everything that the ending never crossed my mind until it happened!