Crossroads of Twilight

Some chapters focus heavily on political machinations and character reflections. Was this deliberate to build tension or a challenge in balancing the story?

With so many perspectives, I sometimes struggled to keep track of who was doing what. How did others manage to stay immersed without getting lost?

The depth of the world-building is incredible, but I wonder how much was planned from the start versus developed organically as the series progressed.