This passage from the book ironically explains the pacing. 
 I never expected much of anything to happen, and nothing much did. I was in a constant state of waiting for things to begin. 
 There are some good things about this book. 
 1. Strong female character 
 2. Highly feminist book 
 3. Beautiful depiction of friendship 
 And honestly, for me, those are some of the best selling points for any book. But then we come to the bad. 
 1. BORING AS FUCK 
 Look, I'm sorry. The book could have the best, most wonderful non-Mary Sue character ever, but I read books to be entertained. A boring book just doesn't cut it. I need excitement. I need an actual plot. Particularly when a book is a retelling of a classic, a book needs to have twists and turns that one would not expect, in order for the book to distinguish itself from a generic retelling. It has to keep the reader wanting more, to keep reading on for an ending that's pretty much 100% predictable anyway. This book doesn't cut it. Why would I read about a wonderful character in a book where pretty much nothing happens? I might as well be reading about my own life *preens* ;3 
 It's a steampunk/fantasy. I can't compare it to Cinder because I haven't read it. It feels like half of the book was spent building up the world and what happened in the past, leaving insufficient room for a plot.