(not the full review) was expecting the book to be slightly boring and perhaps even with lack of action but i genuinely enjoyed reading chapter after chapter of descriptions about how Alina rose to power, all the military meetings, all the religious research and studying, every documentation of the movement of troops seemed so real and enticing like i was in the same warfare room as the characters.
It’s usual for me to self insert into fictional universes but this situation is different, maybe it’s my inner medieval warfare and political philosophy fangirl talking but the escapism from those chapters was so unreal and detached from what i’m used to yet embracing at the same time that i couldn’t tell i haven’t even left my room for hours.