Heartbreaking, gritty, realistic.

Heartbreaking. If you're proud of how you did your mascara today then don't pick it up.

This is Les Misérables but shorter and less rich in characters, right?

Okay, this is shit, right? And anybody who says differently is trying to impress a teacher. Two idiot teenagers think they're in love, try to get married??? The very next day??? And then they die???? It's the stupidest love story I've ever read. (Not to mention that Romeo is a creep for falling in love with a 13-YEAR OLD GIRL.)

Oh wow. This one. This one is my favorite!
There was a ...depth and warmth to Ruin and Rising that I didn't feel in the other two books. There were so many sweet, heartfelt moments and...and the ending just,,, shattered my soul???
I guess Leigh Bardugo's writing improved with each installment, because the second was better than the first, and this last one is the best. Everything about it was better. The world is so much more developed by now, of course. The pacing, the background characters, the descriptions- and, like I said, the FEEL of the story was just...idk...wow, I'm really rambling, aren't I? I just have so many feelings.

It certainly lives up to the hype. A witty plot that never slows, characters that just shimmer with personality (even Kaz, who I don't really like but /do/ feel sorry for). Lots of cussing and Sexy Things sooo if that sort of thing affects you, might want to steer clear.
This is not one of my favorite books - I prefer ones about Good People Doing Good Things To Fight Evil, which is why I decidedly prefer the Grisha trilogy to this duology - but that's a matter of personal preference, so I'd have to be an idiot to knock off a star for it.
Okay okay but can we talk about how Kaz is not?? 17?!! Not in a million years?? I pictured him as being in his late twenties, til he goes "oh yeah am 17 hehe" like WHAT WHAT WHAT?? Ngl, I actually exclaimed "no!" out loud in that scene where he reveals his age.