First read (2022), original review:
This was my first book by SJM and I quite enjoyed it! The world building was stunning and the plotlines interesting. My only problem are the characters: Celaena, Dorian and his father were just flat and annoyed me quickly. I had no big problem with everyone else but these three got on my nerves. Excluding them, I had fun reading and started to ignore these flaws. Because of that I will be giving the second book a read too! 4 stars.
Second read (2024):
Had to reread the first book before starting the second book. Definitely worth it because I underestimated the amount of plotlines this book had. I agree with most of my thoughts from 2 years ago. The plot is the strongest aspect, even though it felt really spontaneous and not planned. Great atmosphere. The characters weren´t as deep as I wanted them to be but this time Celaena wasn´t as annoying. It just suffered from telling and not showing a lot. Dorian and his father continued being unpleasant, and my "favorite" characters so far are Chaol and Nehemia, even Kaltain has potential.
Knowing that I had forgotten most of the plot tells me a lot about the book: It´s forgettable. However, it works as a fantasy setup and I´m excited to see what the next books have in store. 3.5 stars.