Several years after expert thief Sancia Grado and her allies Orso, Gregor, and Berenice created Foundryside—a merchant house specializing in the mass production of sigils—the team continue their war against the other houses to create a fair society out of Tevanne.

When the god-like hierophant Crasedes Magnus is reborn, the crew find themselves in a race against time to prevent wholesale slaughter and the end of their world.

Writing for Tor.com, Martin Cahill heaped praise for the "heart and intricate characters who love and care for each other", lauding it as a "stunning novel that shows exactly what [fantasy] can do.

"[2] Kirkus Reviews labeled the novel an "expertly spun yarn", comparing it to "Tolkien meets A.I."

[4] Amal El-Mohtar praised the series in general, commenting on the "fantastic explorations of capital, empire, and collective action in intricately imagined words" with particular note that the "most recent instalment surpasses [the] preceding work, which is a tough thing to do.