It has a few narrators. Hiob who is the most recent, a monk transcribing the word of the others. Hagia, John, and Imtithal. Their stories intertwine. There are things left unknown.
I wish it had more illustrations. The map shows what a Blemmeye and a pantoii might look like, but there are so many others I can't imagine very well.
Valente does certainly paint a picture though. I love her writing, I've never read anyone who writes better, prettier, darker, more complex, more creative. She starts often with some existing myth or lore and gives me more to think about and imagine than I thought was possible. She makes the world seem a more interesting place, even though the "real" world doesn't have in it many of the things she writes about. She reminds of possibilities. Her stories are so good.
I have to read Volume 2 to really tell how I feel about this one, but it was a pleasure to read.