4.25 Stars 
 This is quite a slow paced book, the direct plot is rather absent for the majority, but this is unexpected in a story of a character's young life. Despite this the book is a quick read and intriguing from the start. The female characters do not feature as much as I would have liked and have less prominent roles than I'd hoped for, but I have been reassured this is rectified in later books. 
 Highly enjoyable and complicated in a satisfying manner. I can see how this applies to both people who read it for the plot turns and twists and those who prefer to try and work out the schemes ahead of time.