3.5 rounded up to 4.

I thought this was a solid YA fantasy story, and it kept a relatively fast pace throughout it.

Is it my favourite YA series? No. I'm not entitling in love with Alina and Mal as characters, so it's hard to be fully invested in that first person POV that Alina provides. I think if I had read this at the age the series is targeted for, 13-16, I may have felt a bit different about that and probably enjoyed them more.