Celaena is strong and independent and all the things I want to read in a female character, and she's able to do it while still having relationships with other people without letting them define her. Additionally, the progression of her relationships take on a realistic timeline, no "insta-love" or "insta-hate" (is that a thing?). I would consider Celaena a good role model, especially for younger readers. 
 I felt the world building and history were executed effectively, without ever suddenly dumping information on the reader. Every piece of information we're given contributes to the story, and there aren't unnecessary chapters of fluff or filler. I also felt that Maas' prose was well written. As someone who just turned 22, I didn't feel like I was reading a dumbed down fantasy for kids, and even though I'm older than the characters I still connected with them and felt I was able to relate. 
 I feel like the only thing I didn't like was the choice of words for some of the fantasy elements, and bless the pronunciation guide in the back of my edition. I won't be rushing into the sequels in this series, but I fully intend to complete this series before I move on from the YA genre.