There were a lot of elements I really liked about this novel. The intrigue was great. The world building was wonderful. The characters were lovable and showed plenty of growth and development. The romance was... okay? It wasn't the most endearing romance novel I've ever read, but it didn't feel unnatural or forced. The themes of finding belonging and love conquers all are not overwrought; they're well done and it feels natural. The prose was beautiful, and there were a few quotes I highlighted because I really loved them and wanted to sit with them a few minutes. There is one really big issue with this book. The queer rep feels very performative. Most of the prominent characters are queer; however, this does virtually nothing to drive forward the plot. You could easily change their previous relationships to heterosexual relationships and mostly have the same result.

The two main characters (male and female) bond over their mutual queerness and then wind up falling in love with each other.

I am bisexual, so I understand the importance of good bisexual representation, but this is not it. None of the queer relationships are shown on page, and they're all discussed in very vague terms. Most characters are either closeted or ostracized due to societal homophobia. Only one of the queer relationships is shown on page, and that's very late in the book and it's two very brief moments. This book has been marketed as having queer representation, but it feels like a bait and switch. If you're going to claim queer rep, I expect to see queer relationships played out on page and to see the characters encounter the struggles and triumphs that come with being in a queer relationship. This book was a huge disappointment in this area, and I spent half the book wanting to DNF because it felt like queerbaiting but I really wanted to see how all of the relationships played out before I wrote a review to that effect. Needless to say, the novel did not subvert my expectations, and mostly, I wish I had DNFed to spare myself the disappointment.