This was the slowest of burns for me. Not in the romance department (that was without spice and fairly straightforward). No the slow burn was how long it took me to finish the book! I think that’s the longest it’s take me ever. Despite my slowness the book was well paced. The characters, action and environment were so rich I was physically there when reading it. When I wasn’t reading I would find myself thinking about the characters and plot and look forward to when I was going to get back to it. I enjoyed learning about another real culture/place and a new magic system, creatures and legends. 

There were genuine twists/surprises/developments that made perfect sense but didn’t predict. Characters made you feel strongly about them

I would give it 4.5 🌟 and only less because it didn’t have me hooked that I HAD to finish it.