Ended up reading this just for one character that sticks around for maybe 1/5th of the book or less. Totally worth it. The book feels stuck at times, especially in the last part, but generally the plot moves pretty fast. I loved the side characters, and got the feeling I was really immersed in medieval Europe. The dated misconception that medieval folks thought the world was flat was easy enough to forgive when the rest of the world felt so authentic.