Instruct: Classify the given review as either positive or negative.
Query: Waste of Time

I was in the middle of this book before I realized that it wasn't going to get any better, but I finished it anyway. Like other reviewers, I thought I would be reading a richly detailed gothic novel. Instead, I felt that the author set up all kinds of intricate themes that readers were supposed to "get", but forgot to write an engaging story around all of the themes. I have not read any of Ms. Egan's other books, so I'm not able to compare this to her other work.