Leigh Bardugo: the queen of surprises and plot twists.

As with Six of Crows, the first couple chapters had me on the fence about whether I liked the book or not; but the more I read the more I adored it. Bardugo is just phenomenal. She knows how to use words in a way not a lot of people do. Not only is she a great writer and amazing with linguistic and writing techniques, but her character and world building has no match.

This universe is so rife with lore and characters that are so interesting and, surprising, believable despite the fantastical elements. As a reader, you can see in these characters who you are, who you were, and who you want to be; you can see yourself and your loved ones; you can see classic generic personalities that we hate, admire, and know all to well, but Bardugo is a master at refreshing them and making them something new to adore.