I am an unabashed promoter of putting down and quitting on a book that you're not enjoying. There's just so much to read and so little time. The Likeness is an exception. Like a jet engine, it takes a while to get revved up, but it is a force once it gets going. The book is far from perfect. It was, in places, wordy and could have used tighter editing. But the characters were interesting and complex. The story, while not always believable, was intriguing. If you can power through the first third of the book, the resolution is worth the effort.