2023 reread:
I enjoyed this one much more the second time reading it. I actually think I liked this one just as much as Six of Crows this time around. I forgot how brilliant the whole scheme in this one was and I definitely liked the characters better in this one than I did while reading the first book

First, I thought Six of Crows was the better of the two books in the series.
Second, this gets 4 stars because the end salvaged it. Until the last 120 or so pages I was prepared to give it 3 stars.
There was just something about this book that didn't quite flow as well as the first book for me. I think it might have been because of all the flashbacks and a lot more personal stuff being added into it. I still don't get the obsession with Kaz, I think he's a good character but I'm not swooning over him. I think Wylan and Jesper are the best characters in the story. Inej is great too and I liked Nina a lot more in this book than the first book.
But really it was the con at the end of the book that really did it for me. I was reading it totally stunned by how genius the whole thing was.
This was definitely a solid series, definitely worth the read. I just love the world of Grisha and can't wait to see what Bardugo does next.