I picked this book up on a whim and I ended up being genuinely surprised by how much I liked it! I was a little worried after reading some of the other reviews that I would also find that it was too slow paced and that the amount of characters were overwhelming, but I actually feel the opposite about it. It was a tad on the slow side in the beginning, but after finishing it I feel like it was necessary to really set up the world and the story without being overwhelming. Even when it did lag a bit, the last 20% more than makes up for it and actually solidified that this was a much better book than i was giving it credit for. Plus, a majority of the characters that were introduced I can absolutely forsee making a huge difference in the rest of this series as it continues. Other than that, the writing was amazing, there was great representation, and I love love loved the characters. So, take my recommendation and read this book!