Slow at first but picks up quite a bit about 2/3 in. If you like stories mostly about a journey, inter/intra personal relations, and women/girls reclaiming their strength and power, this is a good one. There is also some grey/fuzzy morals of some side characters that makes them interesting if you like that in characters. But if you want a lot of action, a lot of fast paced plot, skip it. 
The only thing I thought was unnecessary was a romance at the end, but overall it was a book I enjoyed a lot.