Unequivocally beautiful. The author has a truly beautiful voice, flawlessly and skillfully weaving her words. I couldn't put it down. 
 If you enjoyed this book, I think you may enjoy many works by Patricia McKillip -- a good place to start is with her first publication, Riddle-Master: The Complete Trilogy. You'd probably also enjoy The Silver Metal Lover, and Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee.