The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
🟊🟊🟊🟊
A nicely arranged fantasy novel that's both a) comparatively short and b) relatively self-contained. If those were it's only virtues it would still be remarkable in a genre filled with endless backing and forthing and ten-part cycles. But it's also got some fun concepts which are thoughtfully done, a pretty remarkable economy in its world-building (virtually no places or persons are mentioned that aren't eventually load-bearing in the story), and a bit of very subtle wordplay, all of which I really appreciate. Don't bother if you can't stand fantasy, but if you enjoy conventional fantasy (or even modern "urban fantasy" ala Neil Gaiman) this one's a winner for sure.