I will have to think on this more.
The Fall of The Kings has interesting characters, evocative writing, a lush and gritty setting, and a see-the-plot-several-miles from-the-horizon: it's the last part, the plodding and constant prophetic hints of where the plot is going, the wait-for-it!-wait-for-it! that convinced me to stop reading the book half way through. (That alone always gives me that annoyed "Here, hold the biscuit on your nose until I say it's okay" feeling that must make the most domesticated of dogs crave to rend human flesh.)
As that annoyance grew, it gave time for other concerns for the story to rise: idiosyncrasies. For instance, if this is a fantasy world of its own, where are they getting chocolate from? They have public libraries where you can check out books? Gah. I may still finish this book though, when I'm in the mood for it.
Still, a very interesting lessons for writers are here: Not saying something says a great deal, sometimes in very powerful ways.