The writing style mostly appeals to me, and there are glimpses of great storytelling and characters here and there. I loved the obsession with etymology and that the guy had a real trade. I'll try this author again, at least once more.

For the drawbacks, it was overall pretty boring. The hero could have been interesting, but he just went a little flat beyond his arrogance, which was considerable and obnoxious (in a good way). There are multiple plot points tied together very, very loosely, and the drama splatters a bit with the forced misunderstandings and miscommunication. It is very shallow at times, transparent even, particularly when setting up future stories. The nasty villains are purely nasty, with zero redeeming qualities unless it's convenient. This could have benefitted from a little more time and editing.