Having been recommended Liz Williams books because I was interested in both science fiction and philosophy, I had already read Empire of Bones and felt that I never quite 'got' that book. Nine Layers of Sky I enjoyed much more, I thought the whole premise was very exciting and enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on until it was revealed, and I liked the characters of both Elena and Ilya, although felt there was more to explore with Ilya. The descriptions were great and it didn't matter that I wasn't that familiar with central asia before reading this. The ending did feel a little rushed. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys scifi with a twist.