The book is dark and has a protagonist not everyone will like. It felt very cathartic. The plot feels dragged and listless because she is feeling so - it is a good writing style to drive the point home, but absolutely miserable to read with. The last third of the book gets quite intense, and I had no idea it would go where it did. And while it says it is not a romance, there is a beautiful slow-burn one happening right through the plot.