This book left me reeling. The prose was beautifully written and the plot and execution was brilliant. The plot was something new. I mean certain aspects are nothing new, bur Laini Taylor gave it a new perspective. I love the setting, the characters, the emotion behind everything. 
 I was fascinated by Karou. Her character and personality was so realistic. She isn't some perfect character that does everything right and has everything go as planned and fall into place for her. There are many instance in the book where things go horribly wrong. Taylor doesn't soften the blows when it come to real life, or as real as life can be in a work of fantasy fiction. I love how she would tell herself "Be that cat," in terms of being aloof, but she couldn't. Her deepest, relateable emotions would get the best of her. Also, there was no insta-love. Well, maybe a little on Akiva's side, but the back story helps in that sense. (I'm not giving spoilers!) 
 There is so much mystery floating around all the characters, from Karou to Brimstone to Akiva to all the chimaera. A lot is cleared up, there were a lot of curve balls for me, but there is still much to be discovered. I loved this book so much. I wasn't to sure what to expect in terms of liking it, but it really was amazing. I am going to jump the next two books.