I was intrigued by the premise, and the opening chapter was solid, but the book went off on far-too-long tangents as nearly 100 pages were spent on separate chapters introducing the protagonists before really getting into the meat of the story. This was one of the rare books I nearly gave up on several times. Instead, I wound up skimming sections, something I can't even remember the last time I did. Nevertheless, I pushed on, wanting to see if the interesting premise paid off. In a way it did, but it was also disappointing in the abruptness of the ending. Yes, the reader can decide what happens next, but to me it felt like such an inorganic spot to take the lazy way out.

I rarely leave a bad review, and this one is still only half-bad as the premise was fascinating and many parts were well constructed. Unfortunately, I found the read frustrating, sticking with it to the end out of a sense of stubbornness rather than enjoyment.