3 1/2 stars

Ok, reading this one shortly after Becky Chamber's Wayfarer saga was NOT a good idea. Why? Because Chamber's saga has a basic optimistic view about human nature, something that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And then you meet Baru Cormorant (and all other characters in Seth Dickinson's novel, for that matter), and it feels like a kick in the teeth. "Cynical" doesn't even begin to cover it.

That doesn't mean Dickinson's novel isn't good, mind you. You just need to know what you're getting into here.
I would put this novel on the "economical fantasy" shelf, and it would be the only novel there. Because let's be honest, I don't think I've ever read a fantasy novel before where the protagonist's weapons of choice are accounting books, loans, currency inflation. Sounds boring, but it's not. It's quite realistic in my opinion. Wars always have economical reasons (except maybe religion wars), and that aspect is very often neglected in fantasy novels. Well, here it's just one of the main dishes.

I found Baru Cormorant a character hard to relate to and like. But that's probably done on purpose. Because you get the feeling since page 1 that Baru's revenge plan is going to end badly. You just can't even begin to fathom how badly.

My main issue with this novel was characters. Even halfway through the novel I had a hard time connecting names and "faces", and that's never a good sign in a novel. They're just not well depicted. And that's a big issue in my opinion.
Oh, and I didn't like character's names either. I Found them awful sounding and impossible to remember. But that's just personal taste.

Worldbuilding is rather good, many aspects of the Falcresti empire are very well crafted (and damn spooky, if you ask me. In an Orwellian way).

Overall, this is a good novel that just didn't click for me. Probably beacuse of the characters issue. I find it hard to read a novel where I cannot empathize with any of the characters.