I loved this the first time I read this, and I loved this even more the second time around.

I love that each of Leigh's Grishaverse series is very distinct yet still revolving around the same ideas of magic, belonging, and found family. The original trilogy was about the Grisha, the Six of Crows duology was more about those without magic and the dark underbelly of the world, and while this duology returns to focus more on Grisha again, it does so more in terms of mythology and the idea of Saints. You see this from the very beginning, where more and more saints are mentioned, and the culture and beliefs of Ravka come more to the front. I love how we see the idea of a saint challenged from all angles, both within and outside Ravka, and that this duology as a whole tries to answer the question of what makes a Saint.

I loved Nikolai in the original trilogy (Zoya a bit less), and getting to see the story from his point of view is amazing. I love seeing how he views the world, how he puzzles out victories from the tightest of corners, and how he does it all while trying to remain as optimistic as possible. It was heartbreaking to see that optimism stretched, to see others try and break it, but it only made me love him more, for now we learned of his resilience and courage even more.

Zoya also quickly become a strong favorite, and while I love that this book gave her some weakness and vulnerability, I loved seeing her unwavering strength even more. She is cold, she is cunning, and she is cruel, but she is the weapon the world made her to be, the weapon Nikolai needs. I can't wait to see where the rest of this story takes her, and I'm extremely intrigued how far they're taking Grisha magic with Zoya, and the new knowledge she has gained in this book.

I also loved seeing Nina again, and while her point of view may have been one of the hardest ones of the three we had, I also felt it was an important aspect of this story to see. We often see death and pain in our fantasy stories, but we don't always stick around long enough in the fantasy world to see the long-lasting grief, to see the heroes we love bury those that they loved. It was heart shattering, and it adds an extra layer to Nina and her character. We see a new depth beyond her strength and optimism, and we get to see how she keeps going after this terrible loss. I also loved the darker turn her story took, and how it showed the true horrors of Fjerda even more (and further justified her hatred of the country).

Overall, I really liked the set-up of this duology, and can't wait to finally finish the series and see what happens next (for maybe the last time?) I think Leigh picked a perfect variety of characters to tell this story, and I can't wait to see how these POVs develop later on in this story!