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estelanardoni's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
junereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gimbal_lock's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pixifirebolt's review against another edition
5.0
This. Was. So. Good.
Going in, for whatever reason, I had no idea that this took place in the Grishaverse and I haven't read the Grisha series so when I started reading I thought I'd made a mistake in picking it up. I did a bit of research to check that I didn't need to have read Grisha and then continued on. And am I glad I did! It maybe would have been helpful to have read Grisha but it definitely is not required.
Everybody always raves about the characters in this book and I totally agree, they are so well developed and you grow to love all of them. I always hear people go on about Kaz and Inej, but what about Nina and Matthias? I think I actually preferred reading their relationship, but maybe that will change after reading Crooked Kingdom.
I did find the pacing a little slow to begin with but it soon picked up and I realised that everything at the start of the book was needed for the rest of it to work. The only real issue I had was that I found some of the perspectives weren't distinct from each other and I had to remind myself who I was reading from on occasion, but I honestly don't think it was a big enough problem for me to dock it a star.
Going in, for whatever reason, I had no idea that this took place in the Grishaverse and I haven't read the Grisha series so when I started reading I thought I'd made a mistake in picking it up. I did a bit of research to check that I didn't need to have read Grisha and then continued on. And am I glad I did! It maybe would have been helpful to have read Grisha but it definitely is not required.
Everybody always raves about the characters in this book and I totally agree, they are so well developed and you grow to love all of them. I always hear people go on about Kaz and Inej, but what about Nina and Matthias? I think I actually preferred reading their relationship, but maybe that will change after reading Crooked Kingdom.
I did find the pacing a little slow to begin with but it soon picked up and I realised that everything at the start of the book was needed for the rest of it to work. The only real issue I had was that I found some of the perspectives weren't distinct from each other and I had to remind myself who I was reading from on occasion, but I honestly don't think it was a big enough problem for me to dock it a star.
olivera420's review against another edition
5.0
2020: 1 star
Three years later I'm doing a full 180.
Kaz just owns me I guess.
Three years later I'm doing a full 180.
Kaz just owns me I guess.
sydney_arcuri's review against another edition
5.0
after reading the shadow and bone series i understand a lot more of the book and omg i forgot how much i missed it.
kmkasiner's review against another edition
3.0
Unpopular opinion time! This book was the perfect storm for me--ensemble cast, magnificent bastards, urban fantasy setting, moral grey areas--but I thought it was just good, not great. It reminded me a lot of The Bone Season and I found myself constantly comparing the two books, so that might be part of it. (Jaxon Hall has a sense of menace that I never completely felt from Kaz.) None of the characters seemed like teenagers to me...we're supposed to believe they're all super competent, hardened criminals and I can't reconcile that with them being 15-17 years old. There was no sense of coming of age. Maybe I'm too old and jaded. Despite my complaints, I did enjoy the heist plot and I liked most of the romance.
pato_oso's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
romantasy_reader's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5