Wow, did this book have a fantastic finish, but first things first... This book is about two of my least favorite characters, Whiny self-hating Chaol and bland Nesryn. The book started at about what I feared, and that was them living up to what I expected of them. The shining light was Yrene Towers, who first appeared in my favorite of the 5 stories making up the Assassin's Blade novella. 

Thankfully Maas worked her magic as Yrene was amazing in this book, Chaol actually became a great character in his own right, and Nesryn has a lot more color to her character now. I went from early on thinking about a 3.25 to 3.5 rating, to a 4.5 in the end. The khagan royal family was such a treat, and the story, the emotions, the romances were on point. I know many were weary about this book being parallel and lacking the majority of the core cast. I definitely have to say to put the fears aside and jump in and enjoy the ride this book delivers by the end. No spoilers, but there is one MAJOR reveal that makes this book worth it, and had my mouth agape in shock.