Tyrannical government? ✅ Political intrigue x infinity? ✅ Morally grey characters? ✅ Murder mysteries galore? ✅ Space racing? ✅ Found family (albeit in the most messed up kinda way because none of them really trust each other)? ✅ Lots of people getting shot in the fez? ✅ Robot armies? ✅ A fun flipping time?!? ✅ ✅ ✅

That's all. This was great.

To read this series is to watch the entire history of a world play out in front of your eyes. You will watch how conspiracies are created and spread. You will experience betrayals on the grandest of scales. You will shed tears over unsung heroes, misunderstood by many but who's actions were always for the greater good. You will feel heartbreak and joy over forbidden loves. You will be elated for the deaths of evil thanes, and weep for deaths of the most beloved characters. You will watch in confusion as the people behind The Veiled Throne make decisions that won't be understood until the bitter end. You will get to explore untouched lands, caves of magic, and seas that take you beyond a wall of storms. You will experience the love of languages, the creation of new ones, and how it bridges people. You will witness atrocities and evil like you could not imagine, and feel the weight of a thousand thousand hardships that seem impossible to overcome. You will hear the voices of the dead through speaking bones, and feel overwhelmed by the magic that surrounds them. You will feel the weight of 'The Grace of Kings' and the responsibility that comes with it. Food will bring people together. Drugs will drive people mad. Machines will be built that shape history forever; cameras, contraptions that lead to mass book creation, war machines, silken tools, and so much more. Gangs will become your family. The Gods will play on your heartstrings and creatures larger than life will feel like your own companions who you want to forever protect.

This has become my favorite series of all time. I will cherish it and hold it close to my heart. I read the physical books and because of my love for Michael Kramer and my love for this series, would love to experience in audiobook format too. I am just a mess that this is over.

So, a rock-loving "prince" falls for his mortal enemy and they go on an adventure to destroy a sentient fungus that's destroying worlds and unravel a conspiracy along the way. And it's great. World building, deep stakes, horror elements, and complicated relationships. I didn't consume this book, it consumed me!

Also, we love Pliny 🤖❤️