Tense from the first page, paranoid and claustrophobic. Byzantine political machinations. A feeling of pervasive hopelessness made even more so by occasional narration that reminds you the main character is dead. Like a lot of Jemison's books, it can be a struggle to get to the end- the feelings of being trapped in a system the heroine wants no part of can be overwhelming to the point of "why am I even reading this?"- but push through and it's a beautiful story, more like Hamlet than not and frustrating in the same way- You find yourself wanting to scream "JUST DO SOMETHING" to the main character as she fumbles her way through a world of captive gods and vicious families. It's an excellent book, and as usual with  Jemison's writing, there's a lot about class and power and keeping power from others.