Conceptually, the idea felt inspired, but I hoped for something else. I was thinking of a SciFi fantasy crossover - a cyborg Cinderella story could be fantastic, right? But it wasn't as progressive as I expected. The world-building kind of just stopped; the characters are mildly likable, one dimensional, and somehow the story, even though war and slavery are central themes, is still about marriage and a ball.

It wasn't inspired; it was just an updated interpretation of Cinderella. Same story same beats, except for the ending, which would have been more impactful if the rest of the story hadn't followed so closely to its predecessor.

And the writing itself was stiff.

It wasn't horrible, but it simply wasn't for me. I will not be reading any more of the series.