The blurb for this book had all the elements for a great read however the book did not capture my imagination and I did not connect with the characters at all. For me the way the book was written was very off putting. Too many characters introduced and not enough backround informaton for each character. At times I found myself trying to figure out who I was reading about as the characters seemed to blend into one. I have no doubt a lot of research went into this book but it was not a page turner for me. This book is part of a trilogy.