i really enjoy Maas’s writing. it’s fun and super easy to read and always entertaining most of the books have a great mixture of adventures, action and romance that works great. 
i read her books for pure entertainment and don’t go in expecting the next best novel of all time (because most of the time being entertained is so much better than be next best world changing novel!).

but this book was too long. it could have been 300-400 pages easily and told the same story.

i wasn’t necessarily bored but i wasn’t really interested either. 

that could be cause nests Nesta was always this character for me that reminded me of all those fictional characters that sit around complaining and moaning, being mean and hateful because they are angry at the world and how they were treated. 
i don’t like those characters. 

yes some of the actions of Nestas were understandable and she has/had a lot of traumatic things happen to her…. but you know what? everyone in this freaking series had a huge traumatic boatload of things happened to them and they still didn’t use everyone around them as punching bags when they felt bad.

having PTSD or something similar after witnessing horrendous murders and other traumatic things, simply surviving the best way you know how? that’s realistic!
if you were an asshole before being even more  of one while suffering? very realistic!

doesn’t mean i have to love reading about it through. 

all in all this book was good. it would have been a hell of a lot better if it would have been half the pages. 

especially since all the actual action and interesting pits only happen in the later half of the book. 

so the suffering and self hatred and hatred towards other that’s the first half? could have just been sprinkled into the later half.


i also think it’s a tiny bit unrealistic and even strange how nesta behaved towards the end of the book. it’s great if someone like her actually learns her lessons and becomes nicer and more understanding, but let’s face it. some that’s walkways been manipulative and pretty self absorbed and hateful towards others? they don’t change that fast even if they work through their trauma.

and i don’t mean that Nasta makes friends or ist nice to them or even that she accepted a loving relationship. it’s that she suddenly accepts her family members, which she has issues with for so many years and all of a sudden that’s all forgotten? 
mhm. 

i hope the next book in this series i -if there is one, but i am sure there will be one- will focus on a character that’s more interesting.