I love to read a time travel story that’s as well thought out as this one. While tearing through the fast-paced plot, you’ll notice over and over again that something that was set up earlier without even appearing to be foreshadowing thunks perfectly into place. Using the inherent limitations of historiography as a framework, the story does a great job of refusing to provide any simple conclusions about free will or determinism, while remaining certain that individual choices have real meaning.

The way magic works in this book is mysterious, rigorous, consistent, and satisfyingly dangerous. There’s always a grave and personal cost to using it, and no characters ever finagle any easy outs to get around those costs.