My son loved this book! I, on the other hand, really tried to quit reading, but Levi encouraged me to finish it. I'm glad I did, but seriously, the first two thirds are tedious and boring – to me anyway.
The whole first part is world building, but slow and subtle. Small things are dropped that are important to be picked up on, but, as I say, it's subtle.
The last "arc" (as Levi defines it) is stunning, and it really defines the whole book and the point of things.
I don't think I LIKE the world, and the convent is uncomfortable at best and far from what we in OUR world consider the reason for a convent or religion, and the world overall depends far too much on distrust and violence. Again, it requires way too much buildup – boring buildup in my mind – for a satisfying but uncomfortable ending. I haven't decided on whether to read the next in the series, but I have enough on my plate that decisions of that sort can be postponed.