2.5 stars?

I'm really unsure of how many stars to give this book. It should be a no-brainer for me to love it: late-Victorian setting, a naturalistic approach to fantasy, sisters, art, fencing. It's well-written and the author has a gift for characters. Evadne and Dorina are two sisters who are opposites in most ways, and their interactions prove it. They constantly clash and misunderstand each others' intentions--but then they'll have a moment of true connection, only to lose it again. This relationship was well drawn: readers could understand both sisters' perspectives and I, at least, had sympathy for both of them, even when they were wrong (which was often--they could be very frustrating people, but in a realistic way). The fantasy elements were unique and contained some nice twists. And the cover is lovely.

And yet...I didn't really like it? And I can't put my finger on why. I keep going back to it in my mind, trying to figure out why it didn't work for me, but I come up empty handed. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from reading it--I'm sure many people will love it and it's a quick read. I'm just frustrated that I can't figure out why I didn't love it!