Such a treat. The story structure and pace is delightfully unique and flows beautifully. This book managed to be fierce and dark and cover some atrocious stuff while also being soft and cozy and joyful. This is a cozy fantasy romance wrapped in a dark fantasy shell. 

Perfection, honestly. Every character is charming and unique. I've never taken to a character as fast as I did to Bitterblue. Katsa is everything I love in a protagonist. She's unbelievably hardcore and spiky and smart. I love how the author didn't focus on describing every thing about her that was unusual for a heroine. So many YAs fall in the trap of "not like other girls", but Katsa is just Katsa and her character speaks for herself. Po is possibly the most perfect example of the female gaze I've ever read to be honest. 

This is definitely going on my favorites and I wasn't expecting it when I picked this up at all. A beautiful surprise.