So I started off thinking I was going to hate this one. The narrative style really bugged me in the first few chapters. Oh poor mina, clumsy mina, can't do anything right. Blah, blha. But then I got past that, and it really started to look up. 
 So what I'd say if you are discouraged by the beginning then give it a chance, for me, it really did improve. 
 It wasn't brilliant, but there is a place in my heart reserved for anything inspired by fairytales, and this helped me fill it. I'd really been wanting to read something like this, and although I think the start of the book could have been a lot stronger I started to enjoy it. 
 I'm still not sure of what I think of Nan. I wish she was...more, I guess. But Jared is an ass, and I love him for that, so that's ok. 
 I bought the other books in the series as soon as I finished this one, so hey, getting through the start was worth it in the end.