I'll be totally honest, the first time I read this book I wasn't very impressed. But I'm glad I gave it another try, because on the reread I really enjoyed it. Obviously it would be better if you didn't need hindsight and to know what happens order to appreciate the story, which is why I've not starred it higher, but if you enjoyed Snow Like Ashes, stick with this one. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Frost Like Night now. 
 The character development was on point, not just for Meira but secondary characters as well. Her struggle to come to grips with being a queen, with having to handle politics and the greater consequences of her decisions added a lot of depth, though I can understand why some people found her introspection annoying as it did slow the pace. 
 I enjoyed Mather's POV chapters, letting us see what was going on in Winter while Meira was elsewhere, and shedding some light on the wider struggle of the Winterians. 
 I also love Ceridwen and some of the other new characters though she was one of the parts that stood out second time around rather than first - and it helped to have read the Wattpad short story from her perspective. 
 As with Snow Like Ashes I found the worldbuilding difficult. The idea of Season kingdoms and Rhythm kingdoms is good, but I sometimes felt as if the details took the concept too far and so much attention was given to the separate character of each country it left me with the feeling the world overall was a bit disjointed. Are there no inter-country marriages and kids? Does no one emigrate or spread ideas and culture beyond the borders of their own kingdom? I also think the world-building being so detailed and specific took away from the story at times, like some of the plot was more to show off each kingdom in turn than because it was really needed to forward the plot. 
 First time reading, I found the very quest-like plot frustrating, partly because Meira accomplished each small goal without much of a struggle. On a reread, it wasn't so irritating because I knew there was a bigger picture building up to cause problems, but I still think it was too easy. Even Meira commented on the ease, which might have been enough to save it if there'd been real consequences, but instead the plot twist and climax, although well-written and gripping when they came, felt disconnected from most of what I'd just spent most of book reading.