ok so here is the part where i go i received a free ARC copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review and then i actually have to review it in some way that isn't just senseless flailing because THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING! and i'm never really sure how to review books that i love because what am i supposed to do, sit here like 'yeah you know literally EVERYTHING about this book? i loved it!'? but it's true! also i apparently had the first books in this author's other two series on my tbr already and didn't realize it. i'm definitely checking those out now. 
 the world-building, the plot, and the writing were all great but what really stands out in this book to me are the characters. rarely have i ever seen a book full of this many well developed and different female characters. every single one of them had a distinct personality and voice and they all felt very real. the only minor problem i ran into was that i kept mixing up some of the nuns but i think that is because they are generally more minor characters and they have names like 'apple' and 'kettle' and my brain just can't connect them to the people because they aren't people names, but as the book went on i think i got them mostly straightened out. 
 i also liked how we got the flash-forwards in between the sections of the book because it makes me very excited for what happens next and how we get from our current point in time to there. basically this book was awesome and i literally don't have a single complaint about it. i would definitely recommend it. i'm usually more of an urban fantasy person rather than high / epic fantasy or whatever you want to call this, but i'm definitely hooked.