The story meandered so much that by the time I was halfway through the book I didn't care anymore - I just wanted to be done. Maybe this could be attributed to the fact that I don't generally like picaresque novels since the plot is usually either secondary to some point the author is trying to make or is simply nonexistent. The story picked up in earnest in the second half, but not enough to redeem it completely; there's only so much world-building that I can put up with before I need to see characters I care about running around in the built worlds! I love fantasy, but this book was a major disappointment for me.