The world-building is beyond average; it’s awesome. Will Wight literally has a different world-building because each book is set in a different location.
Despite the Malazans being soldiers and all, they are still compassionate. It reminds me of what they did in Capustan. I was scared that the marines here would be a rip-off of the others, but I was wrong.
The world is amazing. For a small book, the author cleverly does a lot of rather unique world-building. It's not vast Midkemia, truth be told. This one is more straightforward, more streamlined, very different.
Meanwhile, Aes Sedai plotting thickens, serving as a perfect backdrop to the eventual facing off of The Dragon Reborn Rand al'Thor and the Forsaken Sammael.
De Castell writes a New Fantasy, a world in which his characters can be whatever they want to be regardless of whatever and whoever stands in their way
How the author has managed to create vivid realism with mysterious, otherworldly intrigues and elements is quite beyond me. It's a perfect blend of Grimdark and traditional fantasy. Game of Thrones and Throne of Glass meet. Martin weds Maas. It's the perfect literary combo.
Our hero's father, Duke Leto, has to move, as per the directive of a sadistic emperor, to a desert planet with his family to oversee the mining of a very valuable spice, a job that was solely the enemy family's.
The world was well built, Blackcliff, the Scholar quarters, the catacombs, etc. I didn't' have to stress to understand what the author wrote; it's so unlike some YAs whose worlds are poorly built.
