The pacing was slow, but the writing and characterization was pretty great, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. 
 At times, the main character's obliviousness to what seems obvious to the reader was a little frustrating. If that trend continues through the next two books, it will probably impact my overall view of things. However, in this book, he is still quite young and if we see in the next books that he has learned from his experiences, then it'll actually make this seem better. 
 Definitely reads like a novel-long intro to the main character and the world, though, and not a novel that can stand by itself. But it does have me eager to read what happens next...