Re: Teckla: I also did really like the grappling with all the issues you mention, and also the unusual one of whether it's possible to have a revolution in a world where the social hierarchy is literally magically part of the structure of the world. "Can the Cycle be broken?" isn't just a question of likelihoods and the usual political forces, but may be more like "Can we erase the color red from the world?"

I had been extremely attached to Vlad/Cawti from book one, however, so the book made me very sad. It's awfully realistic about the disintegration of a relationship.