I echo many of the positive reviews this book has received: it's well-written and the character work is excellent. It's an overall solid story and I understand why a lot of people love it. I think it was a little overhyped for me though.

Having read Shadow and Bone and thinking it was alright, I was told that this book and duology was leaps and bounds better. And since finishing the Grisha trilogy isn't necessary to understand this duology, I decided to hop on to the more beloved series. Upon finishing this though, I felt it was only a couple of notches above Shadow and Bone. I found the plot to be pretty dry and at times dull. I really liked the character interactions and relationships but not enough to be truly invested in them (perhaps except for Nina Zenik). I could have DNFed this book at any point and it wouldn't have pained me. It was never a chore to pick this up though, since it was easier to read than I had initially anticipated.

Having read two books from this author, I think Leigh Bardugo just might not be for me. That said, I still plan on picking up Crooked Kingdom and maybe Ninth House in the not-so-near future.