I FUCKING LOVED THIS BOOK

honestly?? it's been a while since i've read sUCH a good book like this is high on my favorites shelf like "my thoughts are stars i cannot fathom into constellations" (not to be john green quoting) and i cAN'T EXPRESS MY LOVE

(here is my expletive-filled reading progress)

i'm very thankful that i have lived in the time of this book - i'm blessed, moved, and grateful. i'm shook!! the prose and writing are to DIE FOR and my lovely narrators jude and noah are so good together and they have an amazing twin relationship and i love how this story was woven and i fell in love with all the characters like their mom and guillermo and oscar and brian and their dad and this was honestly such an Experience™ and i would like to relive it over and over again

"“his soul might be a sun. i've never met anyone who had the sun for a soul.”

if i could achieve one thing before i die - it's to write as well as jandy nelson does! her prose was artsily abstract and impeccable in my perspective - i couldn't get enough of the way she wrote these characters! i felt like a little bit of all of them sometimes, and this book is one of those books that reminds you how desperately you want to be a writer.

again - i LOVED "this story about artistic passion and pleasure, about the ecstatic impulse, about split-aparts" and about the amazing sand women and noah's paintings and brian's eyes and oscar's lean and guillermo's teachings and dianna's magic

is there really any true way to do justice to the magic that is this book? NO, but i just want you to know that it has left me shattered and reeling from this experience of falling in love with a book. will i ever find a real life split-apart, or soul mate? will i ever get to have the pleasure of meeting anyone as poetic and artistic as the sweetwines? as beautiful and soulful as jude? a grasping soul like noah? the effortless charisma, yet the hidden pain of oscar? guillermo's booming artistry and his drenched in passion love with dianna sweetwine? these are all beautiful people whose stories i fell in love with from the perspective of two very special twins. twins who divide up the world between them; who could never play rock/paper/scissors because they always landed on the same. these twins who were torn apart by their decisions in growing up and brought back together along with all the beautiful characters - through fate.

"Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story."

Okay. [minor spoilers ahead, in my opinion, they don't spoil major plot points or anything]

I'm trying to pour out all my feelings coherently. I don't think it's working. CUT ME SOME SLACK, BOOK HANGOVERS ARE HARD. (Spoilers don't really matter, because most of the spoilers I allude to in this review are kind of obvious from reading like 10 pages of the book...ANYWAY.)

I really really really hope you realized that I LOVED THIS BOOK. A Court Of Mist And Fury is a thing of beauty and darkness and ravaging and freedom and finding out who your true friends are. I think it is absolute magnificence.

First of all, the ROMANCE. BE STILL MY OTP HEART. I have to say, I was a Feysand shipper since Day 1, when Feyre met him at Calanmai and was like, "YO. HOTTEST DUDE EVER. STANDING RIGHT THERE. HE SAVED ME. OML." (I mean she was still loyal to Tamlin at that point, so...) BUT NEVERTHELESS. I was still like, "YO! SUPER HOT DUDE WHO HAS A DAMN GOOD HEART AND SAVED YOUR LIFE. HE'S A KEEPER." And then she stuck with Tamlin over ACOTAR.

What's great about Rhysand is that he really RESPECTED Feyre's space and independence. I saw this post on tumblr and it went something like: "Ianthe: try on this pretty dress! // Feyre: ok // Tamlin: stay at home ok? // Feyre: i guess. i lost something // Tamlin: what? // Feyre: my will to live // Ianthe: ok but still try on this dress." Very definitive of the first chapter. As you know, Feyre is not one to be coddled like that but she WAS. The Spring Court all treated her like she was so fragile, and couldn't handle the pain and traumatization! They kind of had it right on that last part, but keeping her indoors as if she was in a cage definitely wasn't helping! Anyway, she finally snaps, and Rhysand whisks her away.

Now I want to talk about something before I begin talking about the magic that is Rhysand (I know you want it but PATIENCE CHILD). During Feyre's time at the Spring Court, that whole first section of the book, I kept thinking that Sarah J. Maas was writing in a weird style. There was something about the writing. It was kind of clipped, in a feverish way. It was very subtle, but I think it represented the bewilderedness and anxiety of Feyre being cooped up with no one to properly help her recover from Amarantha and becoming High Fae without expressly stated consent. (AND NO I WASN'T FLAILING ON GOODREADS ABOUT HOW I WAS VERY CONFUZZLED BY THE WRITING STYLE AT FIRST NO NO I WASN'T I WAS COOL AND CALM ABOUT IT YESSIREE)

About the difference between Tamlin and Rhysand: while I don't want to get too into detail, there is one key difference: one acknowledges his actions, and one doesn't! Also, Tamlin has some pretty shady history! His hands are NOT clean - quite the opposite in fact! I love that SJM took off the sugar coating from his character, showing us the harsh truth that contrary to what most YA novels might want to tell you, the first love interest is NOT always going to be the love of your life. This is a theme in SJM's other series Throne Of Glass, too! The protagonist doesn't stay with the first guy forever. Feyre fell in love with Tamlin because he was there at the right place in the right time for her love. He rescued her at a very low time for her and her family. Imagine starving, and not having enough money to buy any. BOOM. You hunt a wolf, and later a hot Fae comes over and is gruff at first, then reveals that he's good and caring for our family's every whim. Wouldn't you fall in love with him too? But there are always different sides to the story!

I really really really liked the overall story. There were so many careful details that were just naturally tossed in, like a childhood memory, or a nursemaid someone once had, that totally added and made a difference in how masterfully this writing was done. ACOMAF was so elegantly crafted, and while I am a fan of Sarah J. Maas, I was not expecting the level of goodness this book is! There are SO many new backstories and flashbacks and details that are revealed about all of the characters' pasts (and some hidden as a premonition!) that just tie the story together. [Show spoiler][Hide spoiler]
AND THAT WHOLE FIRST CALANMAI SCENE MADE SENSE. I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL. MY INNER RHYSAND RADAR SNIFFED IT OUT! ACOTAR was definitely the beginning of character development and plotline, while ACOMAF is the FLESH of the story. I definitely recommend this to anyone that doubted this trilogy by judging ACOTAR only! Will it get better in book 3? I sure hope so! While you wait, I totally love this fic of what someone wrote as their personal book 3! TRUE DEDICATION, Y'ALL. There's like forty chapters!

ANYWAY. I really love that Feyre isn't a lovestruck maiden (like she kinda was with Tamlin at first because DUH - hot fae warrior dude with a huge dilemma of getting a human chick to fall for him to save the kingdom?? FORBIDDEN LOVE ANGST STORY ALERT) in ACOTAR, because she's survived horrible experiences (Amarantha ahem ahem) and has been through a couple toxic relationships already. At least she learns. She doesn't clamber instantly for the love of a dude (like those YA protagonists who jump from one dude to the next). SHE TAKES TIME TO KNOW HIM AS A FRIEND FIRST. Important stuff, ladies! Feyre is actually fine subsisting on her own and being independent - who needs men? Yes, Rhysand DID help her a bunch after her traumatic Tamlin situation, but all in all, she really just needed to get away from him. Everyone needs guiding/rescuing sometimes.

I really really enjoyed the friendship and Inner Circle dynamics of this book. Rhysand had LADIES in his inner, most trusted circle of warriors and friends! Amren and Mor totally SLAYED. They're total examples that you can keep going and living your life even if something very disturbing happens to you - even if you haven't been able to go back to your beloved home in a LONG time. I think they're great people to have around Feyre, and be her badass lady squad! Nesta and Elain, Feyre's sisters, are like the moon and sun. Nesta is stark, stoic, and strong to protect her loved ones. Elain is gentle and lovely, but will still fight as hard as she can to do what it takes for what she loves. Cassian (golden dude) and Azriel (brooding shadow dude) are both incredible as well! They have very distinct personalities and harbor loves for certain people. Rhysand is just very well developed - so damn sexy and flirty and HEART EYES GALORE. He is partly this cold High Lord who does what has to be done to keep of the pretense to protect his people and what he loves. He is also a very kind, loyal guy who openly loves and protects Velaris and the Illyrians. Ah, the Illyrians. You can tell that the flying Illyrian warriors treasure they wings above anything. Whenever someone tortures them, it will be hurting their wings that breaks their strong spirits. And who can blame them? Illyrian fae get majestic, powerful, beautiful wings that take them places, soaring where others cannot. The breathless thrill of the wind on their faces, flying free.... Wings are very valuable.

{side note: this is a more mature novel compared to normal YA! SEXY TIMES! some NSFW scenes!}

{other side note: i would make a moodboard for this story since it was so awesome with imagery, but i'm not talented enough with finding images. i would also write poetry to describe feysand's eternal love, but also not poetic enough!}

{side note 3: i don't wanna be mainstream and like this so much (EW WHY IS THERE SO MUCH HYPE I MEAN IT DESERVES IT BUT I WANNA KEEP IT ALL TO MYSELF I'M SELFISH I KNOW BUT I DON'T LIKE BEING MAINSTREAM OK I LIKE BEING SPECIAL), but Sarah truly made a gem of a novel. [clapping hands emoji here] 👏}

{side note 4: ew how long was this post? VERY. y'all should just implore me to write you guys monologues or something. they'll be dramatic and freaky and flailing and you'll love it.}

"Life is bullshit."

I, er, don't even know how to start with this review. I am horrific at using time wisely, so of course I read it about 5 days before I decided to review it. Luckily, I only forget some things... *cue worried audience of maybe one person*

Aliens

You must've (mistakenly??) thought this was sci-fi! Well you're right for the first 150 pages, at least. Then the aliens don't really show up until they're needed as an obstacle for Henriego (yes I made a ship name don't judge - they're so cutteeee). Still wondering if the whole alien/doomsday thing was a giant metaphor for whether Henry thought the world was worth saving/living for or not. Clever, Mr. Brilliant Author. CLEVER.

The Characters

The characters are all such tortured little bunnies - I want to fanatically squeeze them all and tell them everything's going to be okay... Except it probably isn't, because, you know - doomsday is coming and all that. Henry was SUCH a refreshing perspective! He was incredibly strong and brave and quirky, but you could tell he still had flaws - he could be a little more thoughtful, a little more brave, a little more lots of things. Potential. But he wasn't. And that was enough for the people around him. He was still struggling to deal with Jesse's suicide (his former boyfriend whom he loved a bunch but I never really cared for him because we never met him??) while Marcus, his messed up, secretly gay, flamboyantly popular fuck buddy (this book is a book of tortured souls, man) makes Henry feel like dirt. Then they hook up a bunch still. Then Diego comes in.

(also here's a good depression quote from this book)

“Depression isn't a war you win. It's a battle you fight every day. You never stop, never get to rest.”

DIEGO. I LOVE DIEGO VEGA. I'm pretty sure there's an artist with a similar name. *Googles artist* YES THERE IS A ARTIST WITH THE NAME OF DIEGO! Awwwww.... Look at Helen remembering stuff from art class and studying Frida Kahlo! ANYWAY. Diego is also tortured (an ongoing trend here - but I love it #sorrynotsorry), and he has a shady past that Henry wants to know about but Diego refuses to tell him (until a point when they knew each other really well and were really close so then they have heart-to-heart confessions). He's such a character! I loved him with Henry, because Diego showed up (pretending to be a nude model actually) at a time when Henry was an emotional pile of dog shit (thanks Marcus) and super-depressed and not wanting to press the button, and is pretty much what keeps Henry from killing himself. Honestly, they're all such deep, emotionally raw characters with issues (ahem Marcus ahem) and I don't even know how to describe it.

Henriego

With time, I could probably think up a better ship name. Alas, I don't have the time. ANYWAY. Their banter:

"Mr. Kauffman forced us to read A Farewell To Arms last year. I hated it. Hemingway's writing is so bland. He never says anything."...
"It's not about what he says but what he doesn't say."
I sniffed the air. "I smell bullshit. Do you smell bullshit?"
..."It's not bullshit... Hemingway wrote in the negative spaces. His stories were shaped by what he didn't tell you."
"It still sounds like bullshit," I said with a smirk.

YOU SEE THAT? SEE IT. They're so cute! [Show spoiler][Hide spoiler]
And that KISS SCENE. HOT. HOT MAKEOUT SCENES GALORE.

Me Trying To Figure Out My Feelings On This Book

Me Trying To Figure Out My Feelings On The Ending

Seriously. I don't know if this is a spoiler or not so be warned: this is the last sentence (not including the letter to Ms. Faraci...

"Honestly? It doesn't matter."

YES. You guessed it. HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE DOOMSDAY THING. AH. WAH. Really just adds to my theory that it was all just a spectacularly huge metaphor for whether Henry will think the world is worth saving. Very thought provoking. I think this is a fitting ending for a spectacular novel.

“We're all Holden Caulfield at fifteen, but when we grow up we want to be Atticus Finch.”

Thoughts

All in all, I absolutely LOVED this novel. I might, er, be flailing, er, a LITTLE bit (hahaha understatement of the year).... but I can see why some people might DNF after the first 150 pages. I don't know, I guess some people are genuinely interested in sci-fi! Lol, no - sci-fi is really cool, but THIS BOOK ISN'T THAT. Some people just don't like romance? And then the rest of the people are homophobes. If you're homophobic, what are you doing here? #weneeddiversebooks ANYWAY. I loved this book, some might not love it, I read it and it got me out of a slump, yada yada. JUST READ THE DAMN BOOK. You won't regret it? :)

The Flaws

Yes, it has its flaws. For one, some parts are confusing. We don't ever learn the MC's actual name, do we? Also, the ending is unsatisfying in a satisfying way. So that's not really a flaw, because the character of this book is just, well, - *sighs dreamily* - NOT the type to get a happy ending.

The Relatability

It totally highlights the importance of fangirling! A book like this is pretty rare to find in the publishing world. It's cynical and dark in all the right places! The sheer brilliance just amazes me, and I think you can tell that I am in total AWE of this book. The brilliance is not the part that's rare, however. I think KTBB was poking fun at certain parts of society in a very thought-provoking way!

A Summary

Basically, the Ruperts are a boy band aka 1D that formed through a competition thing (fuzzy details, man!) where they got grouped together through the sheer fact that there were four Ruperts competing that day, and they could all kinda sing (or at least perform or do something). I had a lot of yelling out and being like, "THAT'S GENIUS!" over the course of reading this (a couple hours spread out over 2 days).

You know, just look at my reading progress from Goodreads! It's quite interesting! Also, I really love how the plot just thickens and gets darker and darker and the MC (do we ever find out her real name?) goes through a lot of questioning her character. Out of the four girls, she's probably the goody-goody, stuck in a shell daydreamer. She is an undeniably strong person, but just from the synopsis, you can tell that the ensuing chaos is going to throw her already fangirl life (fangirls live life on the edge - that's what makes fangirling beautiful) out of whack.

The joy you find as a teen, however frivolous and dumb, is pure, and meaningful. It doesn’t matter that it might ferment and taste different when you’re older. That’s the whole point of being a teenager—not worrying about the future.
Other people may have seen fangirls as crazy teenage girls obsessed with a fad, but they couldn’t understand the small but important joy you can get from indulging in these fandoms. They didn’t understand that a new gif of Rupert K. grinning at you could be the difference between a crap day and a beautiful one. They didn’t get the friendships that formed, the community of people who shared in your same joy. Maybe it was obsession, but it was also happiness; an escape from the suckiness of everyday life. And when you find something that makes you happy and giddy and excited every day, us fangirls know a truth that everyone else seems to have forgotten: You hold on to that joy tenaciously, for as long as you can. Because it’s rare to get excited about anything these days. Ask your parents.

These words will always be dear to my heart. There are a LOT more that I can completely relate to, but I can't overload you with all the good quotes can I?

Another total plus: THE HUMOR.

How fabulous is the humor? VERY FABULOUS. The whole plot just keeps twisting and turning and going places that get darker and darker... sometimes I was just like, "She did WHAT?!" and kind of made a really odd face like -

Characters

I loved the characters. Apple is ME! See that screenshot of my reading progress up there? Basically, the scene where they actually kidnapped Rupert P. (is this a spoiler? idk - the synopsis tells you!) involved Apple sighting him, then instinctively (where she got this instinct, I don't know and I frankly don't want to) goes over at full speed and then like tackles him or something. It was HILARIOUS, because then she just casually turns up back at the hotel room and is like, "Girls, I found one." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Apple is introduced as the rich one of their little foursome of fangirls, then you see that she's kind of heavy, and Asian. Man, I relate (kind of kidding, but GO AWAY INSECURITIES).

Onto the actual characters! They're all kind of bubbles - distant, and you don't get to know them too well, even the MC. I daresay especially the MC. I keep highlighting this, but I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER NAME! Names are an important part of identity, you know. Oh well. I get to keep on calling her MC! The story is told in first person, but it definitely reminds me of 3rd person because you are literally only in MC's head and are experiencing only her experiences. I see how this could be interpreted as more like 1st person, but usually, 1st person stories still divulge a lot of the going-ons in the background. This one doesn't, and is very detached (I honestly cannot find the words to describe it better). So it's actually NOT that much like 3rd person, but it's weird. READ THE BOOK. It's fabulously brilliant in how the author figured this style of writing out and realized this style of writing totally fits! All this character development that is not really much character development is on purpose, because this story is a story that isn't meant for you to get attached to. I think it's really just a fun, hilarious story that some will love (like me!), some will be like meh, and some will think it is stupid and a horrible excuse of a book. You'll see what I mean by bubble characters if you read the book; they're all very real yet kind of depicted through a muted shade - MC's eyes. Her thoughts are vague, yet clearly communicated (does that make sense?) as well, but that's all good. It's realistic, and that's what I love! A total band fangirl - depicted in all her realism and ferocity and inner fears and rambunctiousness and trysts through life!

Other

This book also touches on some topics of depression and hallucination. These situations are dark (and funny at the same time), but if you can imagine it, it's just very stressful and could involve jail for assault and kidnapping! (show spoiler)(hide spoiler)
AND jail for life, since Rupert P. DIES at the hands of (show spoiler)(hide spoiler)
(later revealed) his former girlfriend. Obviously, when something drastic happens, people start blaming each other - even close friends! Well, "close" friends that turn out to be not so close.... People turn on each other and MC starts doubting herself - it gets dark, I told you! But it's light-hearted at many times, too!

All in all, this was a very satisfying read for me. It's a light (in the beginning), darkly hilarious, and overall kind of cynically SILLY read! I genuinely hope everyone that reads this enjoys KTBB, too! It is really a book that spans a wide range of topics that I felt were justly depicted, and if you like my blog (*crosses fingers* *crosses fingers again* *CROSSES FINGERS SOME MORE*) and you like me as a person (see latter parentheses), check this out! Be a good reader pumpkin!

• The world-building. There could've been more, but the world - imagine being frozen for 300 freaking years! This book definitely explores some interesting topics...
• The twist at the end - you'll see. It explains a lot, and probably saved this book from being 3 stars.
• THE POTENTIAL. From reading the summary, I'm sure you can see what I mean. You could expand in so many directions from this base idea! I'm not sure if the way Beth Revis expanded was exactly for me, but really. Lots of potential.

• The character development could've been improved on so much.
• CHEMISTRY. It has to do with character development, but Amy and Elder? I didn't feel any chemistry! They pretty much only liked each other because they were reasonably attractive to each other and weren't complete [Show][Hide]
  brainwashed idiots under the influence of Phydus!
• Even though I liked how the ending cleared things up, I also didn't really like how sudden it was. I have a feeling the author meant for it to be this way so readers will want the sequel, but I think she could've allotted and gave clues to the ending. Why did [Show][Hide]
  Orion do what he did? There was no backstory!
  I DIDN'T SEE THE END COMING BUT IS THAT GOOD?

Anyway, this book really delved into some dark topics. The ship is doomed! Just kidding. (Am I?) They have resourceful Amy and responsible Elder!

This book was VERY long and VERY vividly detailed. It might be my age and un-maturity talking, but this book had so much world-building and action! I LOVED that! The scandalous aspects - incest, etc. - were, well, scandalous, and I can't complain. It was juicy. What I didn't like so much was the length. The length doesn't bother me, just a lot of scenes were drawn out and sometimes there's a little too much detail, you know?

However, in some ways, the details painted a very vivid picture of the world. George R. R. Martin definitely knew what he was doing, and hinted at other plots, other bigger pictures to be elaborated on later. Like Cait said in her Goodreads review, he made us feel ALL THE THINGS. We were completely manipulated by the author and his masterful writing. I applaud him.

Blurb should be NOT A ROMANCE, EVEN IF IT'S A WEEPIE.

When I first read it in 2014, I was already imagining Emilia Clarke as Lou! It was hilarious (her family is just goals) at times and was not even very romantic, but yes, mostly about life and all the paths and choices you can take and where life will lead you. The romance, however, was VERY skillfully interweaved with the plot.

Btw, this is a total weepie. If you don't cry, you must be like a very apathetic unicorn then, maybe. And Will? Aside from that being one of my favorite names ever (Herondale anyone?), he was sarcastic and witty and everything (and more!) someone in his difficult position should be. I like how Jojo really didn't make him very optimistic or make him make any empty reassurances, because just how. HOW.

Can anyone ever move on from someone like Will?

Also, like Emily May said (sorry I'm on my phone so idk how to link it), Louisa is just soooooo relatable and likable. She's hilarious and awkward, and is how I would probably be if I were cooler and wittier. Whenever she falls (or in this case gets herself into super awkward situations), she picks herself right back, while still somehow maintaining her dignity with an air of, "Oh, silly me! Some tea, Will?"

Really. This book is fabulous, and the movie is going to be agjakskdblbsvsisowpqhwy UGH SO FABULOUS. Daenerys and FINNICK??!! ( I had SUCH a thing for Finnick.) (Come to think of it, I had a thing for Daenerys, too. When reading GoT, I always did look forward to her point of view.) Super hot cast yay!

Okay. This book explores a lot - the first part was pretty slow, but I think that's okay - lots of world-building.

NIKOLAI. I literally bookmarked like 30 pages of just fabulous Nikolai quotes. Did I mention NIKOLAI??!!! Of course, in Siege and Storm, there were more moments, but, still....NIKOLAI.

After all the gushing, something I didn't really get was the whole Darkling thing. After the confrontation at the end of S&S, since Alina got a little of his power, she could see him? And speak with him amiably? In R&R, the Darkling and Alina pretty much talked as equals. The Darkling is evil. He's trying to confuse her and worm his way into her heart. Well, Leigh, it's working on the reader, too! Did he secretly have a good heart? Was the mad, power-hungry Darkling really a softie, as shown by the declarations of intimacy [Show][Hide]OH ALINA, BTW, MY NAME'S ALEKSANDER. MOURN FOR ME. WE HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON SO WE MUST BE TOGETHER. Well, we will never know, because Leigh never elaborated on his character that much. She showed us like 1% of his soft side, then didn't clear anything up? Like, that makes me mad?

Anyway, this whole build-up throughout the entire series has led to.....what? The Darkling dying? We get it. That was going to happen, unless she pulled a Divergent series, which even in that case, the villain dies. Like Jesse @ JesseTheReader said, there really wasn't a plot.

BUT - in the end, I still really liked this book. My heart is soft, and Leigh is a spectacular writer, and NIKOLAI.

WOW. For any book, I get a certain feel. The setting, the characters, the plot, how DARK it is..... I'm weird. I can't explain it. All I know for sure is that this book's "feel" is COMPLETELY different from Shadow and Bone. They are both definitely good! While S&B was kind of a lighter, trying-out-my-new-abilities-then-getting-betrayed thing in a "first-book" kind of way, S&S was darker, and Alina definitely got stronger as a person. BUUUUUT ....

Nikolai was ABSOLUTELY FUCKING ADORABLE. OKAY? OKAY.

Seriously. He might be one of my favorite characters EVER, along with Magnus Bane (that is a very high ranking for me). He totally lightened up the darkness, and was totally the perfect contrast! He was the beam of sunshine that I fell in love with!

“Of course not," said Sturmhond. "Anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea.”

“I took a breath. “Your highness—” “Nikolai,” he corrected. “But I’ve also been known to answer to ‘sweetheart’ or ‘handsome.”

“Sturmhond had a way of talking that made me want to shoot someone. Preferably him.”

“Watch yourself, Nikolai,” Mal said softly. “Princes bleed just like other men.” Nikolai plucked an invisible piece of dust from his sleeve. “Yes,” he said. “They just do it in better clothes.”

Speaking of Mal, he is.....I have nothing to say. He was hot when he took down all those Grisha in the brawls and stuff, but then the whole (show spoiler) (hide spoiler) kiss with Zoya pretty much canceled that out. However, I am a loyal fangirl, and I don't deviate from the intended boyfriend/romantic interest that the author intended unless in seriously special circumstances. After all, authors control us with their words in their stories. We are subject to their whims. Every single word is carefully orchestrated by them, so nothing you really feel about the story is going to be alone. If you ship a weird, out-there couple, chances are, others felt the chemistry too and ship it right along with you (unless you decided to ship a character with a banana she ate in like Ch. 17 or something. That's just weird ok?). Anyway, Mal is steady and loyal (for the most part, i mean, he tried to be faithful), but there was some SERIOUS chemistry with Nikolai that Leigh Bardugo put in there. It can't be unintentional. Either she just wants some serious buzzing on tumblr and stuff, or there is going to be issues that are resolved. I don't know. Maybe Nikolai dies or something. I had a feeling from the start, honestly, but HOPEFULLY Leigh's not that cruel. I seriously hope so. #TeamNikolai #IfAlinaDoesn'tWantHimWellIWantHim

Also, something Leigh had going in her favor (for me), was that she didn't dwell too much on her attachment to the Darkling. He did haunt her and make her hallucinate, but there wasn't this big emotional epiphany moment where she breaks free of the hold he has over her - the strong, horrible hold that is NOT really there because Leigh is fabulous.... If there had been this whole emotional Darkling-induced funk that Alina was stuck in, it would have slowed the book down. Authors do that a lot - they stick their main character in a FUNK.
All in all, I am rating this 4.5 stars because I am yet an amateur reviewer and I cannot, for the life of me, rate a book that I wholeheartedly enjoyed anything under 4 stars. And I'm generous, so.... :)