This was quite an enjoyable read. The world is vibrant and feels very lived in. Even without knowing all the Houses, it's easy to extrapolate a lot from the context that exists. To say nothing of the wider world. And the characters, very diverse and honest (except for the ones that are dishonest). I also get rather Dread Pirate Roberts (Princess Bride) feelings from the scene just before the epilogue, though I couldn't say if that's where that dynamic will actually go. I feel like I have a sense of where things will end up, in any case.