This is one of the strangest books I have ever read. I do have to warn that there are some disturbing, disgusting and terrifying scenes in this book. With that out of the way, I will get to my review. I adored this book. 
 As someone who reads a lot of fantasy, it is refreshing to find a book that defies traditional tropes in such a dynamic way. This book is premised around librarians, but not the typical librarians one is use to. These librarians are skilled in war, languages, healing and a variety of other specialties. All of this is interspersed with mythology, theology and politics. The plot is wild and I really think that this book is at its best if you go into it without a lot of prior knowledge. Just go along for the ride, the author is on your side, but he requires you to do a little work to get the most out of this book. 
 To start off with, this book is tightly plotted, but I found it hard to predict where it was going to go next. It is intelligent, smart and perfectly paced. The characters are despicable, terrible things happen to some of them, and somehow I still found a way to empathize and that is a testament to the way that this book is written. I am eagerly anticipating any other work from this author. The only caveat I had was the way certain plot points played out, but I think that is my own personal bias as a reader. 
 Overall, this was a fantastic read and I will continue to recommend it to people.