Original Star Rating: 5 ★

Reread: Despite dropping in stars I still really like this book. I think the drop in stars can be due to having read more books and different kinds of books since my original read, but also knowing the series now. Because of that certain aspects which I know I was surprised and thought were well done the first time makes me instead think what else could have happened and if it would have changed the overall story for in large or small ways.

I still very much love the characters in this series. I admit they have some bias but I do think they are interestingly created. They have a lot of nuances that feel characters lack in ACOTAR and CC that makes them fair more interesting to me. They have proper flaws (not just the flaw that you work too hard when asked what is a weakness in a job interview) but something that can annoy you as the reader but it is because they feel real and as such are not flawless.
The overall story I felt was a little weak but this is a bridging book of the series from Throne of Glass to Heir of Fire/the rest of the series. It has to build up what we will see for the rest of the series so instead it doesn't feel like much happens in the book and a lot does at the same time. I do like the sections we get where we see consequences for actions in the word and I wish we had these pieces in the other series because it bring so much life to the world.