Dare I say this was a much better conclusion to Fitz's story than Assassin's Quest. The pacing was steadier, and I found the ending a lot more satisfying. This book had many powerful emotional scenes, especially in the second half. It was definitely my favourite in this trilogy!

I wasn't sure about this book at first, but it grew on me the further I got into it. I thought the world-building and magic system were well-developed, and the conflict between mind and heart magic was interesting. Honestly, this was a bit darker than I thought it would be. There were a lot of scenes that were hard for me to read. It was giving major Handmaid's Tale vibes. Though I appreciate that Toven was never cruel to Briony, and that their romance wasn't rushed. On the downside, it was fairly predictable; I saw the twist at the end coming from a mile away. I'm hoping we'll get to see more of the dragon in the sequel!

This was my first Joe Abercrombie book, and I can't say I was too impressed. There are so many novels out there that center around a group of misfits/outlaws who are forced to work together, and unfortunately, this one doesn't bring anything new to the table. The writing was quite lacking. It felt immature, especially since I expected something more sophisticated going in. I cringed at all of the poop jokes, and the constant use of the word 'fuck' became irritating after a while. Alex reminded me of Vin from Mistborn, but unlike Vin, I didn't feel anything for her. She was so useless that it kind of annoyed me. She seriously didn't do anything except repeat the words "Oh God" over and over again. You'd think living on the street as a thief would have made her stronger and more cunning, but no. I also wasn't sure what to make of Brother Diaz. He wasn't the most likable character, and I was confused about what his role was with the devils. Speaking of the devils, Balthazar, Vigga, Sunny, Baron Rikard, and Jakob were great! Their found family was the only good part of the book! The pacing wasn't great either. The story mainly revolved around getting Alex to Troy, and I think my dislike for her character ultimately made me indifferent to the plot. There was lots of action, but all the fighting became boring after a while. Though I'll admit things did pick up in the last 100 pages, if only the middle had been condensed. I think the next book might actually be good if it focuses more on the politics. Maybe we'll see.

I love how layered the characters and their relationships are. Robin Hobb's writing is so compelling that I don't even care about the slow pace and lack of plot.

I got to hand it to Holly Jackson, the idea behind this book was crazy good! Honestly, I couldn't stop reading! I liked this a lot more than her previous standalone books. Jet and Billy's relationship was great, and I thought the mystery was really well done.