Now that the full book is out, it is my greatest pleasure to write another comment.
You have created a fantastic beginning to a story that will leave people speechless. Obviously I will not discuss any spoilers whatsoever, but I can say this much: Paying attention to what the book tells you is very rewarding and it will stay that way for future volumes. Digging deeper, and trying to truly ponder certain implications is not time wasted; caede knew what they were doing here. Not a single word in this book is in vain.
I love Eric. He may be a little ??? in the head, but he ultimately just wants a good life for himself and his (found) family, and that makes him so so sweet to me. Certain scenes brought tears to my eyes, because Eric’s sincerity really got to me. So, no matter what: I will root for him until the end.
Additionally, I love magic, and I love how it works here. I suppose one could categorize it as a pretty soft magic system – you don’t have to fully grasp its entire ins and outs, but thinking about it is fun as heck. Knowing that nothing is left up to chance in your work, the thinking and the pondering and the interpreting lends the book an additional layer of fun.
There was also a part of the book that made me actually screech like a harpy. :) :) :)LOVE!!!