the first half of this novel worked really well for me. you are thrown right in the middle of the action and there is no time for long info-dumpy chapters which was quite refreshing. however, the incredibly short chapters and changing of POVs consistently slowed the momentum of the story. by the end of the novel, i was growing bored and had trouble focusing on the story. this is the first book in a seven book series and it definitely felt like that. most of the story was establishing characters and plots which is fine, but by the time things start to converge the book ends. overall, i enjoyed the book and look forward to delving more into the author's works.