While I enjoyed this overall, I just didn't fall in love with it the way everyone else has. I really enjoyed the world it was set in, the Roman influences in a fantasy setting and the cut throat almost "game of thrones" politics, but other than that...

I don't know what it was. I loved the way the Assassins and their Church played a massive role in this, and the setting was dark and and beautiful- it had all the elements that I usually love - brutal, a gothic fantasy world, badass characters and witty banter - but while reading I found myself with the intense desire to play through the Dark Brotherhood storyline in Skyrim, so I spent more time doing that than wanting to know how Mia's story played out. 

While I grew to enjoy Mia, I didn't really begin to enjoy her until I was towards the last half of it. 
My favourite character was Hush, which says alot because he literally can't talk. I appreciate that it's one of those books where any character can be killed off in a blink, and I usually love that, but I just felt it stopped me from really appreciating anyone. 

But nothing really suprised me in this book. None of the twists, the way characters outplayed each other - none of it suprised me, and I found things obsessively descriptive.

I do love Kristoff as a writer and I realise I do sound harsh but I wouldn't be honest if I said "oh I loved it, it was incredible and epic," like everyone seems to. It thought it was alright and I look forward to reading the rest of the series, and hopefully I enjoy the second book more. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace after coming out of Empire of the vampire.