That's the general consensus, at least as it has come back to us: the story takes a little while to grab you, but once it does, it has a strong grip.
To an extent, the slow start is simply an unavoidable consequence of the fact this is a broad story - there's a lot going on, and a lot of threads that you need to pick up. We've tried to avoid that thing some stories do of giving you a long monologue of backstory when you meet a character because honestly, when was the last time you went home and found your brain reciting to itself "This is my sister. She's kinda smart and yet also a bit naive. We were really close as young kids, but over recent years we've drifted apart a bit...". I mean, I don't know about the rest of you, but when I get home at the end of the day my thoughts are no deeper or journalistic than "Hope noone's in the bathroom. My bladder is bursting!".
We know it is slower and takes a bit more time, but we think it is worthwhile to have the characters unfold and be revealed more naturally. However, that takes time.
We have and need that time anyway - because there is a huge plot unfolding here. We're already setting a pretty fast pace on that plot opening up and playing out. If we went any faster I think we'd start losing people. But if we went any slower, well, at the current pace we've estimated we need 4 series in total, each of 5-6 episodes. We've got a schedule for episode releases that we try to stick by, and that already means
@MrKnobb (and team) are going to be working on this for at least another 18 months (roughly) to crank out the full story.
We're planning (and hoping of course) that the story will continue to strengthen its grip, to hold your interest, and to have you eager to see what happens next, all the way to the final conclusion. So far, so good.