I had a little difficulty wading through this one. It's quite different than Mieville's previous works, though it's not difficult to see how this evolved from them. Characterization is very strong, with characters that strengthen and evolve logically throughout the narrative. The plot and magical system mesh precisely: both are constructed out of thickly layered and highly detailed metaphor.
Absolutely a book where every little detail is important, will likely come back to effect the plot at some later point.
The missing star in this review is really only to do with the slightly disjointed transition between events, which was rather annoying to me in a few instances. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book.
The magic system in this book is so incredibly brilliant, that I keep coming back to it. I really hope to see Mieville use it again.