3.5 rating. 
 What I enjoyed most about this book was the introduction of a new character, as well as the insane amount of delicious action that happened in the last parts of this book. I cannot stress enough how I loved the introduction of Sturmhound. Yes, yes, yes, YASSSSS. Absolutely swoon worthy. I was pleased to see a little development with Alina as well - she's more assertive, and we finally get to see a power struggle within her as that hunger for it gnaws at the back of her mind. 
 My main disappointment stems from a strong lack of The Darkling, and the absolutely irritating curr that is Mal. Mal is dull, he's "perfect" and I'm certain that Alina will end up with him when we finally come to the end of this series. He's constantly insecure in his relationship with Alina, which only further proves to irritate me every time Alina does ANYTHING without first consulting him. I don't enjoy Mal as a character, and I would love the satisfaction of saying, "Bye Felicia, see you never." to him. I also am still confused with Alina's powers, and wish there was more depth to the Grisha magic. There were points where the plot just didn't move along, and ultimately, I experienced a very similar lukewarm feeling (maybe a little warmer) like I did while reading the first book. It isn't that this book wasn't enjoyable, it's the fact that I'm just not left feeling as if I'm about to die if I don't get my hands on the next book. 
 As I said earlier, the last portion of the book contained such fast paced, and absolutely marvelous action, which was only heightened by Bardugo's gorgeous and lush writing. I am interested in the direction the plot is going, so we shall see what the final installment of the Grisha trilogy entails.