Lively world building and very good battle scenes are what shine in this book. And I love a portal fantasy where the hero doesn't remain unscathed by their experiences. This book is a Young Adult adventure sitting somewhere between Joel Rosenberg's "Guardians of the Flame" series, and Kameron Hurley's (very not YA) "Worldbreaker Saga".

This was pitched to me as not being Young Adult but it very much is. The main heroes are all high school aged, and the author frequently inserts jarringly obvious Educational Moments to literally school the reader. Lessons are spliced into the story on how to examine ones motives for bigotry, be sensitive to the differing life experiences of others, and not to promote the misinformation that evil people are crazy, among others. As an adult who learned those lessons long ago these sudden bald interjections just broke the fourth wall and with it the spell the story was weaving.

The story itself is simple, full of evocative locations and characters, with no grimdark or sexual assault. The book inverts the traditional proportions of male to female characters, presents healthy sexuality in a positive light, and adresses issues of racisim, sexism, and intergenerational pressure. Overall a very worthwhile read for any young adult fan of fantasy.

Note: get a physical copy to read. The ebook version I read was a hot mess of formatting errors- I don't think I have ever seen so many issues in a professional book. Not the books fault however - had no impact on my rating.