Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: Intriguing world; endearing characters; a strong, humble protagonist (who has a strange obsession with everyone's looks); a sexy villain I couldn't help but love (I'm doomed); unseen foreshadowing; heartbreaking plot twists

I read this book in one sitting. It took most of my day...but I just couldn't bring myself to put it down!

I was hooked from page one. The "Before" section shed light on the protagonist and her childhood friend in a way I don't see in most books; it was intriguing to see them then, and to see them grown older as Chapter 1 began.

I admit it: I was drawn almost instantly to the Darkling. He's got this sort of sexy, mysterious aura to him, even through written words, I couldn't help but want MORE of him despite knowing practically nothing about him. Now, don't get me wrong here: I'm usually the FIRST one, especially lately, to pick apart a character's motives and question exactly what it is they're seeking. But...the Darkling. I just... I don't know what to blame it on. I liked him. Immediately. And I shouldn't have. I guess I'm doomed to a life of consistently seeing more in “bad” people; of loving characters who are FAR beyond redeemable. I'm sorry. He's just so damn sexy!

I was a BIT disappointed in the world-building overall, however. We're thrown almost immediately into the midst of the action, but we aren't really told WHAT Grishas are (I mean, aside from the obvious). We don't know hardly anything about the ways they're separated; it's made to seem like each Grisha's power comes from their personal interests and tastes—for instance, David must have always enjoyed making things—but we aren't given the finer details. Where did their powers come from? Why are only a select number of people born with powers? Why is Alina's power hidden for so long? (we ARE given a reason for this about halfway through the book, but it seemed like a huge cop-out on the author's part)

Overall, I enjoyed this read—again, I read it in one sitting, so obviously it held my interest! While there were some elements I didn't like—Darkling, my darling, you hurt me!--and some of the world-building elements seemed to fall through the cracks, the read was quick and the writing gorgeous. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series; I MUST know what happens next! Highly recommended!