For a book I really liked I have 2 major complaints that knock it down to 3 stars. Which again: I enjoyed the book, I enjoyed the experience of reading it, it’s very well written/researched/conceptualized, I would recommend it to others.

HOWEVER.

It is 300 pages too long. It’s not that it should’ve been split into two books–there’s one book’s worth of plot. It’s not that there’s an egregious amount of subplots–there’s not. It’s perfectly paced for a 500 page book but EVERYTHING moves at the speed of treacle. Jesus christ. Take a second editor and cut some of those elegantly formed sentences.

Second: If you tell me that (a) England acquired magicians midway through the Napoleonic Wars and (b) France does not have magicians and (c) the English magicians are actively intervening in the war (esp Strange in Iberia), and THEN you tell me that Waterloo happened on the exact same day–I am going to call bullshit and try to figure out why Strange’s magic exactly replicated what historically happened. I am no longer paying attention to the book I am reading Wikipedia. This is not a good thing.