I’m new to the fantasy genre but I feel like this is what world building is. Taking the time to slowly develop & explain the inner workings of the story’s setting as well as the characters & their backgrounds, etc. Despite the book being slow it kept me intrigued & wanting more. I was constantly trying to put the clues together & figure out wtf is going on **SPOILER ALERT*** we don’t figure out what’s going by the end of this book. It actually ends on a huge mysterious cliffhanger.