This series was completely engrossing, the kind of writing that lead you to submerge yourself into it's world, and only come up for meals and trips to the lavatory.
This series is complex, with lots of moving parts. Normally I re-read early books before reading the latest in a series, and I strongly recommend doing that here. I wasn't able to, and the provided "What has gone before" summary was limited (and seemed to lose steam half-way through its few pages). ...