I'll preface this by saying that I'm reading this series in the 'purist' order. Not for any particular reason; I was just able to get hold of 'Assassin's Blade' first! But straight away I can see why the 'romantic' order might be many peoples' preference; there's the start of a nice little build in this book which I'm sure will offer a gut punch and all the feels if you leave AB until the middle of the series. By reading it in 'purist' order, you are effectively spoiling yourself and removing some of the mystery from the character of Celaena.

The plot is fairly simple, but very tightly executed for the most part. That being said, this is a fantasy book and so you do have to get yourself into the mindset a little before you dive in; it's quite fast paced from the getgo, so easing yourself in isn't really an option. It definitely holds the reader's attention though - even if you do have to go back and reread a passage to grasp an extra detail, it's not a hardship; I found I wanted to understand more throughout.

There are clearly plot points being laid for the subsequent books in the series and, in the main, these do pull you in. However, I'm not a huge fan of the 'jealous rival' in this case; while I don't know what's going to happen with Kaltain next (which may of course change my mind about her), at this point I'd say that the character feels quite contrived and two dimensional, purely there to fill a few extra pages.

Maas' biggest strength is her beautiful descriptive writing; from buildings to clothes to landscapes, she has a way of weaving words together to paint the most gorgeous pictures in my mind's eye. While I wouldn't say her descriptions are as strong in this book as it is in some of her others, I'd still say that she sets the tone perfectly for the YA category she's writing for.

The library has already delivered the next one in the series, and I can't wait to crack it open!!