Hmm I have mixed thoughts on this one. The slow burn was great and I enjoy a jaded narrator.
The world-building of this, however, fell really flat. There was so much allusion to the intricate politics and magic system, but none of it was fleshed-out enough to feel convincing, or even make much sense. The ending disappointed me, too.

I mean, how are you gonna write the colonizer king as the good guy?

Overall, I feel like it relied heavily on its tropes. I wish this was the lesbian-rivals-to-lovers-romantasy-with-a-Jewish-coded-MC that I wanted it to be.