Although a good first novel, I do feel it wasn't necessary to have that many myths/legends or folklore stories to get her point across. I feel with all that that was going on, I got a bit lost and found the history of characters like the 'apocrapher' and the 'bearman' unnecessary and distracting from her main story. However, I would have liked to have read all about them in her next book, as they are worth telling. I feel the author had too many ideas and could have kept some for the future novels.- Slightly 'overworked', a mistake that young painters often make on an artwork.
In conclusion, although well written, I have indigestion from this over stuffed feast of stories and time frames! For me a 'simpler meal' would have sufficed perfectly.