2021 reread: I bought the hardcover boxset shortly after I finished the audible versions, and after watching Shadow and Bone last weekend I had a hankering to check this out again.

Let me tell ya, after the Grisha trilogy the difference is night and day for me. Every aspect of the book is superior to the trilogy imo. Characterization, pacing, world building, dialogue, dynamics of the crew, the plot, the prose. All of it. Feels like it’s much more aware too, more inclusive.

The only hang ups for me is that the story isn’t actually resolved. The cliffhanger is a good one, and boy does it fit the genre, but I just don’t like structures like that. Thankfully I don’t have to wait for the next book!

Loved it! Listened on Audible and really enjoyed the performance. But the writing seems much improved from the first Grisha novel I read, Shadow and Bone. Romance, betrayal, heist, and interesting characters. All about it.