The first chapter of this book is FIRE. I was absolutely hooked by Ikenna's attitude and fighting rage. The end of the chapter had me internally screaming. 

Unfortunately the next few chapters are mostly description, explanation, and a few deaths. The deaths I didn't mind, because it heightened the stakes. But having everything explained to me just isn't my cup of tea.

Chapter 7 starts getting good again, and by chapter 10 Ikenna's investigation really starts picking up. While the explanative language remains, the story gripped me enough to get over it.

The last few chapters after the completion of the trials felt off-balance or the whole book. It's a major shift from the theme of the entire book. I felt like too much time was spent on the trials is the story was going to shift into war mode immediately after. There could have been a better balance in the book, or the last few chapters could have been expanded into a book of their own  making this a trilogy. 

That being said, it's still a very gripping story, and I will be reading book 2 as soon as I can get my hands on it.