Maybe it's the shift away from first person, but this book didn't quite pick me up and run away with me the way Lawrence's previous books have done. Or maybe it's just the frame of mind I was in reading it. Or maybe this, or maybe that. 
 Regardless, upshot is that although it took me far longer than I'd have expected before starting it to finish this book, it was still really heckin' good. Will definitely be picking up the sequel.