DNF @40%

I read over 200 pages and if you asked me to summarize it to you? I couldn’t even tell you what happened. The writing wasn’t vibing with me, all the modern cursing (even though it doesn't mention which era this is set in) and those weird long-names for no reason. Very boring for my taste and pacing was confusing too. The narrator was a bit off in my opinion.

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Bland

Contrary to the summary, this had nowhere near the personality of Six of Crows. A promising beginning following thief Rags as he is forced to go tomb raiding gives way to a long slog of POVs hunting for what amounts to a bunch of Macguffin artifacts. The various POVs divide into two parallel paths that never really come back together. There’s little action until the final hour, when there’s an underwhelming battle and a partial victory, leaving the Macguffin search incomplete and forecasting at least one more book to come. Only, I don’t think I particularly care to look for it.

The concept of bonding with sentient artifacts was mildly interesting, along with the creepy spycraft of sorcerer Morian The Last. But everything was just … so … meh. The most impactful parts are the initial massacre scene and out of place F bombs in this otherwise fit for teens book. And the MM romance?
It’s barely there and has zero heat. This wasn’t awful, just bland.

A delightful and romantic adventure

I love this work. Wonderful world-building, superb pacing, a delightful queer fantasy adventure. Each character thread builds toward a satisfactory conclusion, which can be tricky given the number of POV characters in this book. I am in love with how the authors are able to maintain a clipped pace in the plot, while slowly spooning out the creative details, very well done. Worth your time.