I had difficulty choosing between a 2 & 3 star rating. This novel, although, well written stylistically, is confusing, convoluted, and inconclusive. Disappointingly, I found the characters also uninteresting. The pace of the novel is often ponderous. If you are looking for a classification, I'd say this novel is very much a cross-between "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende and "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman. It seems to leverage the most confusing concepts of both.