This book had been on my tbr for years until yesterday, always appearing on recommendations and on posts but for some reason discarding it every time. It surprised me, I was wrong not to read it before. 
 I almost read it in one sitting; it is entertaining, fast, short, and doesn't end on a cliffhanger, ideal if you want something to get out of a book slump. I loved to see the story through Gen's eyes, you feel that he is keeping secrets from you even though he is the narrator. It was carefully written not to let everything Gen knows or thinks to the reader, but still leaves trails that make you want to re-read the novel after the plot twist. I suspected what the plot twist would be, but I enjoyed it either way. Also, reading entirely through a male POV is a breath of fresh air, lately I've been reading books with dual POV or female entirely POVs, so I was glad for the break. 
 The characters are nice, but I would have loved to know more about them. I loved Sophos, I hope he appears later in the series. I also loved both queens but sadly I read a few spoilers about them on some reviews, so I'm hoping the "thing" in the second book will surprise me regardless. It is also interesting that the age of the characters is never specified. It is a bit weird but fun to be the one to imagine the age gaps. 
 I look forward to the sequels, starting the second book now :)