This is one of the better books I've read as of late. I'm a little exited to say as much, because it feels like I haven't read something this magical in a while.
It's hard to describe, because, yes, a lot of books I've read had magic in them. But it's either Tolkien-esque trolls and elves. Or it's got the D&D feel.(which is pretty much the same thing as Tolkien) Or the authors are hiding the magic away, only saving it for key moments. While this book actually puts some effort into building a world where magic is woven into the fiber. And it has a more fable feel to it. Like a fairy tale quality to it.

I picked it up on the description alone. It looked a little girly, so I checked the tags for the typical chick lit stuff. I didn't see any, so I pulled the trigger.

When I began the book, I thought I made a mistake. Because there were some bad signs. Like the descriptions of men are very female-gaze. You know the way female writers write men. And another sign was the random mention of scents. Men somehow smelling of "cinnamon and sweat". She actually used those terms.
However, those were false signals. As those are the only aspects that read like chick lit. Mere physical descriptions of men. The rest is nothing like that.

The story is about court intrigue within a strange world, with strange rules of government, that could only exist in a world where magic is real. It finds a good balance between the practical and the supernatural, that just works.
I like how the start of the book is unconventional. No hero's journey here. It feels fresh. And even though it's only part 1 of what will soon become a series, it still wrapped up nicely. There were many revelations in the end that made sense when all the pieces came together. Making you go "ohh, I see now". Good pay offs.

I'm not saying it's a perfect book or anything. It's just nice and satisfying. I feel like something was missing from my literary diet. And this book nourished that deficit.