I did not think I would ever read this, despite the high rating and praise I’ve seen from people I follow. This was party because of the size (I can’t bring myself to DNF books so it’s daunting to start any that are 400+ pages), and because I haven’t found myself super interested by really anything in the high fantasy genre since I was a teenager. Nearly immediately after starting this book (like two chapters in), I was instantly drawn by the smallest hints about the world and characters and wanted to keep reading to find out how things progressed. 
Excellent writing, complex characters, and an interesting plot kept me engaged and soon I felt the elements of the genre that typically I couldn’t get into or that I disliked becoming things I looked forward to reading in this book. It’s only February but I already know this will be in my top books of the year.