You know when you are reading a really good book and you basically put the rest of your life on hold until you finish it? And when you do, you have no idea what to do with your life anymore? This was that book for me. If possible, I actually liked it better than its predecessor, Shadow and Bone. I thought the story had more drive and a clearer path, and Alina wasn't as passive and seemed like a stronger character in general. 
 I think I'm in love with all the characters, actually. Except, of course, the ones I'm not supposed to (I'm looking at you, Vasily). The new characters were introduced very well, and I thought they were excellent additions to the story. (view spoiler)[Personally, I liked Sturmhond much better than Nikolai. Even though their personalities were essentially the same, I found myself missing Sturmhond and generally being frustrated with his royal alter-ego. (hide spoiler)] 
 I thought the plot was fairly evenly paced, just fast enough that I was kept on the edge of my seat, but not too much that I felt like I was getting left behind. The story jumped all in rather quickly, though, with the Darkling showing up in the first 10-20 pages. At first, I couldn't even tell if Alina was dreaming/hallucinating, or if it was actually happening. It just felt too soon for him to show up, and it was almost unbelievable. After that point, however, the story accelerated until it was gliding along at a steady pace. 
 Once again, the world building was great. It's the little details that really give you a better picture of Ravka and the surrounding nations as a whole. I find their technologies really interesting, because there are things that combine Grisha power with man-made inventions, such as the Squallers on the Hummingbird. 
 Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am very excited for Ruin and Rising. It's an engaging and original read with some very fun characters, and a great female lead. Hopefully the trend keeps up and the next book is even better than this one!