I flew through this book so fast. I loved that i think it is standalone. I also really loved the characters and just the world that was created. It took the best parts of magic and dystoia and made awesome story. It was a darker story the her previous series and with a lot of grit. I really loved the characters. I was surprised at how neatly the story ended and it to me was a good and effective standalone. I love the concept of it being that she was telling us this long story! I love the tie back to tale of two cities because it was so obvious now that that was here Inspiration. If you like red queen but wanted a more unique world check out this book.