About halfway through this book, there is a sharp change of pacing. That makes reviewing it difficult because I have very different opinions of the two halves of the book.

The first half of the book dragged, weighted down by a standard young adult romance setup. Here was a young hacker, misunderstood by his family and a threat to the government. Here was the rich woman, loved but untouchable. Here was the girl next door, whom I wish was the protagonist instead. So far so standard...

Then, about halfway through the book, the pace picked up immensely. The romance elements didn't get any better, I'm afraid, but suddenly I didn't care. I was turning the pages quickly, trying to get to the next bit of world building, theology, or genre melding. I do love a book that gets carried away combining fantasy and theology, and this one was made all the sweeter by the theology being a variety I am less familiar with. One character, introduced midway through the book and a member of the clergy, was easily my favorite. The action elements were also much more prominent in the second half, and the story took on a real page-turner quality.

I feel as though my engagement curve with this novel happened a bit out of order. Usually, I am drawn into a fantasy world by the way the world is built. I become interested in this or that element of the government structure, magic system, or cultural detail. Then, when the exposition is in place, I stick around because I've meanwhile become engaged with the characters or plot. Here, most of the worldbuilding is towards the end, and the characters are not quite original enough to hold up the story while we wait for it to arrive.

That said, I was left with a very positive impression of the book. I hope folks will give it a try and not be discouraged too quickly.