There's a lot of good stuff packed into this sprawling epic.

i was surprised to see so many weighty topics examined using such a sweet, often breezy tone.

Platonic love, loyalty, the nature of sapient existence, religious politics, gossip, making moral choices, creating and keeping vows, parent/child relationships, overcoming prejudice...none of these were shortchanged and each got a healthy amount of attention.

The characters were relatable and the relationships were satisfying. Just, wow. Really well done.