Oh man. This is right in bullseye of the kinds of books I look for.

Normally this would be the kind of story I'd expect from an old-school Clive Barker, or a more sedate China Mieville, but it's not horror, and it's not a sweeping urban fantasy epic. It's about two wannabe demigods who have nothing better to do than to place bets on who can field the better pupil, a millionaire who unknowingly concocts their arena, and the potentially ill-fated pawns who are forced to play their parts as combatants before they become lovers.

The writing is the best part, which I can only described as "measured breath". It rolls and surges and recedes like a symphony. Morgenstern chooses words well; they're not tangled up like Mieville's, but they still manage to paint as clear a picture as Mieville can. No part of this book dragged, which can be a problem when a less skilled author attempts to write in such a melodic style, which made me never question that I'd finish this book, and quickly (by my personal account).