I'm between 3-3.5 stars on this one, due to the painfully slow first half followed by an incredible second act. While I do not claim to be the resident expert on fantasy novels of any kind, I feel like I have read enough at this point to have a general understanding of the various tropes and sub-genres that are popular. That said, I initially requested this book for 2 reasons: 1) I'm really enjoying reading more adult fantasy than YA fantasy this year and 2) Brandon Sanderson blurbed it, so DUH. What it really comes down to is, this is a long book, and the first half of the story basically shows us what a turd burglar Michael is before coming into his own in the second half. I could not stand our main character for the first 40-50% of the novel. If I had been able to connect on a more personal level with him during this time, this book might have been an easy 5 stars, as the second half is SO GOOD. SO GOOD! If you enjoy the type of fantasy novel that involves patience, mystery, and political intrigue, I highly recommend giving The Kingdom of Liars a try for yourself. I'm tickled silly waiting for the next installment, and now that the plot is going, I anticipate a much higher rating on my end for the sequel.