The first third of the book was really fast-paced and super fun to read! I really enjoyed it, however the bulk of the story afterwards was quite slow up until the final two chapters. 

The dynamic between Mal and Alina frustrated me to no end. It made me feel despondent, angry and annoyed and I wish they would just TALK to each other!! Proper communication solves everything! Mal was such a broody little ball of angst. I’d feel sorry for him, but it was kinda his own fault that he wasn’t having a great time at the palace lol.

Also — Nikolai!!! Love him, probably my favourite character in the book ❤️ Tolya and Tamar are also *chef’s kiss*

All in all, I decided on a 3.25 ⭐️ rating, as I found majority of the book to be relatively mundane compared to the beginning (hence the long time it took me to finally finish)! Despite this, the ending left me wanting more, so I’m excited to see what the final instalment of the Grisha trilogy has in store!