The Sword and Laser discussion

I was overall shocked at my disappointment in this book. It was a book I wanted as soon as I read the blurb but it just didn't live up to what I expected.

[Review/Thoughts:]Took me about 50 or so pages to get into it, I got confused for the first 100-ish pages as to who was from what country and where we currently were and such, I didn't care for the murder case and I didn't really feel a connection to the characters.
However, I love love love the detailed and interesting history/religions, the gods and their backstory was great. I love how the topics explored in this story were very reflective of our own world; religious extremists, a super power controlling weaker states, racism, equality. I really did enjoy seeing those topics in the story!
And I am going to read the sequel.

While it didn't live up to my expectations, I did enjoy it.

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I'm quite sure there's other books out there that sound amazing from the blurb and then (maybe through one's own expectation and hype) once read, find it a disappointment and this was what CoS was for me.

I had almost your same experience when I read Ancillary Justice. I found the pronoun thing gimmicky but I loved the multiple-viewpoint aspect of the ships. Until the main climax where I had real trouble following the action. So enjoyed, but was disappointed.

I didn't have the same reaction to City of Stairs, though. That I just kept enjoying more and more, although it was a little over-the-top in spots, but by that point, I was flying high and ready to accept it.

I ran into this victim-of-own-hype situation reading Palimpsest recently. I liked it, just... thought i would like it more, you know?

Ancillary Justice for me started slow but 100% delivered by the end. I hadn't read anything about the book except that it was a Hugo winner before I read it though, so I didn't have many preconceptions.