It took me 4 months to finish this book; I had to restart it at one point. It's not entirely the book's part, although I found myself stopping the book at the same point twice. Sooo... yeah. 3 stars. 3.5? I liked much of it. I like where it's going. I continue to love the magic, I love how Jim Hines' mind works. His writing has sometimes struck me as a bit awkward but in the places where I really noticed, it could have been purposeful. I'm ready to read the next one. It is a very solid 3-4 stars.