The world building is excellent and executed well. I really loved most of the story. There was a point where I was SO angry at Rivelin. A sort of YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE HER kind of angry. But here is the bad for me. I hated the way the spice was written. And I'm trying to decide if it was just the verbiage or if it was a disconnect issue. Either way, I won't be reading any more by this author. (Better than "so-so" but also not a "pick".)