Was a slow burn which irritated me at first but luckily i stuck with it and im so glad i did. The pacing is a little slow, its like everything happens in the last few chapters and then it ends with one hellacious cliffhanger. Th writing is great, it does low down in a couple places and you wish it would just hurry up and finish but overall the characters were great! The plot was nice and I am now anxiously awaiting the sequel. If you love slow, build up stories youll absolutely love this. The world building is great, you dont see the ending coming until its right up on you which i always appreciate. Id definitely consider it a soft fantasy. It would be a great introduction to fantasy. Its not so complex and complicated that you get lost but its got enough grit to keep you interested 95% of the time. I loved the different houses and how each one had a back story and baggage.