The beginning was slow going. It took me some time to really get into the novel which I think was due to the fact that I never connected with the main character, Kell. And even though I was interested in the three Londons and the system of magic that Schwab describes, I still had trouble really wanting to continue reading.
Once the character of Lila Bard was introduced I was slightly more interested, but still felt a lack of enthusiasm. The plot did not pick up until almost 200 pages in, which is halfway through the novel, and that was frustrating as well. I have not appreciated many novels that take a long time to get the story going. On top of all of this, the novel, which is not YA, felt like a YA novel. It lacked the depth of an adult fantasy novel and the characters all felt paper thin. However, V.E. Schwab did do a good job of not making the ending easy. She made sure her characters went through things in a believable manner, and for that reason, I did not actually hate this book.
I liked the novel enough to be excited about meeting the author. V.E. Schwab will be at Phoenix Comic Con in early June, which I am going to, and so I will be able to hopefully go to some panels and maybe even get my book signed. Sure, I wished the characters were more substantial, but Lila's story seemed to hint at obtaining more depth in the sequel. And I wished the plot had moved more quickly, but I appreciated the lengths Schwab went to to describe her system of magic. So, all in all, it was an enjoyable book. I am not sure yet if I will read the subsequent novels, but this is a book I think the right kind of person would like. And who knows? Maybe the sequels will give me the depth and substance I wanted in this novel. So perhaps I am being a bit too harsh, but I can't say for sure at the moment.
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