I've been in a bit of slump these past few months, but this was exactly what I needed! 
 It's basically "The Three Musketeers + magic". Perfect. A nice bit of sword and sorcery, everything's pretty light. Mainly, it was a move away from the YA I've been reading recently, which is exactly what I needed right now. 
 My main gripe was the pacing. The author crammed a lot of backstory in here, which was just fine, and I liked the style, the way the MC talks to the reader, all great. But the present day storyline just seemed a bit off to me. It started out by setting itself up as going on a world-spanning quest, but then they got stuck in a single city for what felt like 75% of the book, and then they very quickly wrapped everything up. It just felt a bit disjointed. 
 Still, I decided to go straight on to number 2 in the series, so take the 3 stars with a pinch of salt. I think that is mainly down to my reading slump/grump. 
 Now, see, I've done it again. I've written my short review, by giving a single line praising it, but then slagging it off for several paragraphs. 
 The main characters were funny and interesting, and didn't suffer from being idiots, which is always a bonus. They had their own motivations and quirks, but if someone DID do something stupid, you knew why, and damn it you agreed with their stupid decision. The history and concept of the greatcoats was fun and compelling. The only reason I wouldn't recommend this to someone is if they don't like the style of writing where the character talks to the reader. I like that, but I know that not everyone does. All in all, a great book! 
 I now feel a bit harsh only giving the book 3 stars, but... I've already clicked it, so my bad.