The author sprinkles little-known details about the era throughout novel. Did you learn anything new? What surprised you?
During the Renaissance era, science, medicine, and magic overlapped so people where astounded by these accidental discoveries in science and attributed them to “magic acts.”
What surprised me was parchment and vellum came from two different sources of animal hides. Goats and sheep provided parchment while oxen or aurochs (extinct species of wild cattle) were used for vellum.
I can’t remember exactly what the little details were now, but I liked them because they helped me stay grounded. Being new to fantasy, I sometimes have trouble suspending disbelief, so these historical tidbits were a helpful reality check!