I got this as an audiobook and chose it primarily on length. It's like 36 hours long! I listened to it through the night from Connecticut to Michigan, but unfortunately I let a lot of time pass between then and when I started listening to it again, so I had to start over. (Plus, I was half-asleep when listening to it the first time -- Ssshhh!) 
 The characters were very interesting and I did get invested in their stories. The story was good. I think it was just the sheer length that impaired it a bit, but the detail was not superfluous. I can imagine this being made into a movie... :) 
 I'm interested enough in the characters that I'll likely get the rest of the trilogy, although I still have to determine whether I like it enough to want to buy a copy (on audiobook), or just borrow it from the library.