It took me absolutely forever to read this one, I know I know. But at least I’ve read it now! I hadn’t been expecting to love this, to be honest, it is so hyped on the Bookternet which always makes me wary, and I had also heard a few bad things about rep and character development. However, I definitely want to continue with the series!
It wasn’t a 5* read as there were a couple of problematic aspects and I also didn’t find the writing to be the best (although given Sarah J Maas’ age when writing this I think I can give that a pass as it’s still decent!). I did personally find that there were some points where Celaena’s obliviousness grated a little, as she seemed to not notice the absolute obvious that is staring her in the face. These bits just seemed to be there to further the plot and were not interwoven well enough into the story to not stick out like a sore thumb.
On a more positive note though, I was so engaged and engrossed within this book. I couldn’t put it down and felt so personally invested in Celaena’s story and what was going on! I am definitely planning on continuing on with this series (once I find book #2 in a charity shop!) and I can see myself giving future books a 5/5* review if the writing improves and all my boxes are ticked. Super glad that I finally started this series!!
Abi of Pellinor 