Such a disappointment. First of all, it was an entirely unnecessary prequel as we know the end results for all of the characters and the development of the games.
Poorly written, slowly paced. Character development was vague if not nonexistent.
This was clearly just an attempt to make some fast money. The fact that there's already a movie deal proves the point. The movie will have to be drastically different from the book in order to be at all good.
I'll admit, I was excited and had high expectations for this book. But I'm incredibly disappointed.