I'm glad I stuck it out with this book. For the first thirty or so pages the writing came off as too pompous and I thought it was just going to be dry and boring. I very nearly stopped reading. The writing style seemed to shift slightly after the start and I was able to get involved in the plot rather than feeling like I had to find the definition for a word on every page. Nothing makes me want to get rid of a book faster than having it make me feel dumb.

The plot took a little time to get going, but did quite well after the first few sections. I quickly became involved in the book and I got to the point where I couldn't put it down. I would have given it 4 stars, but the ending just didn't suit me. It seemed that it would have been more powerful to end it a few chapters before the end. The last few chapters weren't written with the same care and detail that seemed prevalent through the rest of the book. I ended up feeling a little bit let down.