The first maybe 50-100 pages of this book were slow. There's a lot of information that you'll find useful later, and a lot of events that set the stage for the rest of the book (and the series). The characters are rich and wonderful and the imagery is immersive. When you finish this one you won't be able to not read the next. And the next, and all the rest after that- only to get mad at GRRM for not writing the next installment fast enough.He writes epic fantasy that the average reader and fantasy reader alike are unable to put down. 

Question: How is the character?
Answer: The characters are rich and wonderful and the imagery is immersive