This is a pretty brutal story, but one I quite enjoyed and happen to think is worth the price of admission and time invested. I don't feel the need to hold my big conclusion for the end, that's the takeaway, but I'll expand on that.

The story is complete, but leaves room for more, rather than being a nugget of a story that demands a sequel to provide any sense of resolution.

The characters are distinct and well written, interesting, endearing, whether as villains, friends, family, lovers, or whatever part they play in events. That extends to your own character, who can be competent and play an important role in events while giving you, the player, room to develop them as a person in the way that you desire.

The story makes it clear that your character has lived in the shadow of the elder heir, but at no point did I feel that their place in the story was fully eclipsed by it or that they were lacking in agency. Events unfold along a particular path, sure, but only inasmuch as you cannot control the world around you, you are always afforded agency with how you react to events as they unfold, and the choices you make feel meaningful, and have an impact on the other characters swept up in events, both in the moment and in the long term.

There were definite moments where the progression of your skills felt like they had an impact and were recognized within the world, but it never felt like a grind, and the opportunity cost of focusing was rewarding without becoming paralyzing.

The pacing of the story was also good throughout, giving you chances to breathe and develop relationships and an understanding of the world between pitting you into frenetic, perilous circumstances that reach satisfying climaxes which build as they go. Giving you time to process what happens without dwelling so long that you lose interest. The prose is engaging and always pushing you forward, being concise where needed and expansive where justified, varying between those in a way that is satisfying as a reader while also always providing you the opportunity to engage with it on your own terms through your choices.

The romances are satisfying, at least the ones I pursued, there seemed to be other options that might appeal to other people that I wasn't interested in, and I see that as a good thing.

I am very happy with this and look forward to more, whether they decide to continue with this world and character or if they try their hand at other stories. As I said before, this is very satisfying as a standalone but leaves fertile ground for a continuation, which is a very difficult line to walk that many fail at.

This is a pretty brutal story, but one I quite enjoyed and happen to think is worth the price of admission and time invested. I don't feel the need to hold my big conclusion for the end, that's the takeaway, but I'll expand on that. The story is complete, but leaves room for more, rather than being a nugget of a story that demands a sequel to provide any sense of resolution. The characters are distinct and well written, interesting, endearing, whether as villains, friends, family, lovers, or whatever part they play in events. That extends to your own character, who can be competent and play an important role in events while giving you, the player, room to develop them as a person in the way that you desire. The story makes it clear that your character has lived in the shadow of the elder heir, but at no point did I feel that their place in the story was fully eclipsed by it or that they were lacking in agency. Events unfold along a particular path, sure, but only inasmuch as you cannot control the world around you, you are always afforded agency with how you react to events as they unfold, and the choices you make feel meaningful, and have an impact on the other characters swept up in events, both in the moment and in the long term. There were definite moments where the progression of your skills felt like they had an impact and were recognized within the world, but it never felt like a grind, and the opportunity cost of focusing was rewarding without becoming paralyzing. The pacing of the story was also good throughout, giving you chances to breathe and develop relationships and an understanding of the world between pitting you into frenetic, perilous circumstances that reach satisfying climaxes which build as they go. Giving you time to process what happens without dwelling so long that you lose interest. The prose is engaging and always pushing you forward, being concise where needed and expansive where justified, varying between those in a way that is satisfying as a reader while also always providing you the opportunity to engage with it on your own terms through your choices. The romances are satisfying, at least the ones I pursued, there seemed to be other options that might appeal to other people that I wasn't interested in, and I see that as a good thing. I am very happy with this and look forward to more, whether they decide to continue with this world and character or if they try their hand at other stories. As I said before, this is very satisfying as a standalone but leaves fertile ground for a continuation, which is a very difficult line to walk that many fail at.