I might have preferred a 3.5 over a 4, but have settled for a 4 over a 3. I enjoyed the style of writing, not quite so much the pace and structure of the book, though being most of the way through the following book I can say that (while more complex), I have enjoyed it much more - perhaps the style requires a bit of familiarity. I won't comment much on the contraversial subject matter, other than to say that, while it is distasteful, it isn't much different to the content of other dark fantasy; the difference lies, I think, in that the perpetrator is the protagonist. This isn't a fluffy fairy tale fantasy, and in my opinion this point of view has the potential to tell a different story to what we may be accustomed to. My recommendation is that if you can stomach it, read through your distaste. The second book is better in that both the protagonist and the writing has matured. I'm expecting very interesting things out of the third book.