This was really, really good, and I think it deserves a much wider audience.
I went into it basically blind, and I was constantly wondering what the heck was going to happen next. I immediately loved Csorwe, and every character we came across was memorable and unique. I laughed during any scene with Tal. I was intrigued and curious about Sethennai every time he spoke.
The world building was so well done that I didn't even notice it happening.
Ancient serpent people, sweet and innocent romance, portals and airships, ancient artifacts, necromancy, cults and religious trauma, cool wizards.
Looking forward to reading book 2!

Also I listened to the first part of the book as an audiobook, and it really helped me figure out pronunciations! Plus the narrator was great. I just got impatient and switched to ebook.