This is pretty formulaic YA, which I figured out within the first couple chapters. Nothing in this book really surprised me unfortunately. But the world was really interesting, and I wanted to read this before Six of Crows which most reviews seem to think is far superior. (Although I am DESPERATE to learn more about how being a Grisha actually works, how does a country split in half by shadows still function properly, what are the surrounding countries like? After just reading A Darker Shade of Magic, clearly I am desperate for more intricate world building in all my YA fantasy). I think I'll pick up the rest of the trilogy eventually, but I'm in no rush right now.

Also, Alina was pretty generic for most of the novel, but I still liked her. However towards the end,

I could not believe she was so judgmental towards Genya (who I really liked, no surprise). It's very clear that the King repeatedly raped Genya, so I was in support of her revenge against a powerful man.