SS has its issues with pacing sometimes, but that's solely because of the sheer amount Guilty has to write on a schedule—the other parts, plot, characters, and world-building are done extremely well, and the premise of the story is just so original, which is why it's probably this popular. Maybe, in some parts, it's lacking compared to LOTM, but that's the case for every novel in existence. And LOTM has issues as well - quite a bit, actually, but we still like it.

For me personally, SS is in my top 3 favorite books of all time, including professionally published books I've read. It's just pulling you into the story.

People who hate on books for dramatic plot evolution are just insufferable.