I love this series. "Mold eliminating magic" and "stubborn oil stain removal magic", those have to be some of the most useful spells I've ever seen in the history of fantasy. The depiction of winter in the north is really spot on too, right down to the old classic of "put your super icy cold hands on someone's cheek/neck and then remark on how cold it is outside, possibly while they hit you in the arm", and the sheer comfy of a blazing fireplace (though they're not very efficient for sheer heating, particularly when it's genuinely cold, like 20 below F).
And man, all the little flashbacks just have so much in them, and the reflections they bring on the present. This series addresses "partings" of all kinds in such a unique and head-on way.