3.5 stars 
 I'm... Confused. 
 First of all, I want to clarify: I LIKED IT. I am close enough to loving it. I'm just... Not quite there. 
 I don't know what to say??? This one started off so promising. The plot was creative. The characters had so much potential. The writing style was amazing. So what did fall flat? I'm gonna try to write an organized review for once in my life to try and organize my cramble thoughts. 
 THE PLOT: 
 Magic, parallel universes, enemies-to-friends relationship, smugglers and thieves... I was instantly convinced with this one. I was ready to give it 5 stars from the second I started reading. But I guess I've read too many dystopian YA books already? And I guess, at some point, they all start to bend and look alike. I've never been the kind of person to complain about that before. But well, I guess it was meant to happen. My biggest issue, and this is completely my fault and I know it's wrong but I can't really help it, was that I kept thinking back to the Six of Crows series. I kept getting this vibe, I don't really know why, but I found them similar. Maybe it was the authors' style, maybe it was the worlds each author had created. Anyhow, I can't really help it but compare the two universes and, well, for me, nothing really tops Six of Crows. It sucks but it's true. So that kind of played against this one. Told you, absolutely my fault. 
 Besides that, I kind of felt at times that the story was too fast-paced. The characters faced problems along their journey and solved them in an instant. Kell would be worried that something wouldn't work and then magically (yes, I KNOW magic is part of the plot, but still) things would go his way and it just felt like everything happened according to what was best for the plot, even if it didn't make much sense. 
 One last thing I am going to complain about is a little something that happened in the end. Then again, I might be getting really picky and unbearably annoying sometimes I can't help myself, but I just want to know if someone else had issues with this? (view spoiler)[Near the end, after the Dane twins are dead and Kell is fighting the Vitari inside him... Was it really necessary for the magic to have a human form? For it to have Kell's body? I felt it too... Surreal. And not in a good way. We are talking about Londons that overlap and people that can control elements. I'm not one to complain about unrealism. But I did not like it. I felt it too forced. Not my cup of tea. (hide spoiler)] 
 THE CHARACTERS: 
 OH MY GOD. The most I think about it, the angrier I get. I WAS SO READY TO LOVE THESE GUYS. They all had so much POTENTIAL and they seemed to be so COMPLEX and WHERE DID IT ALL GO WRONG? I think my main problem here is the lack of background story. We know so little about these people's past. That may be solved farther along the line during book two or three, I don't know, but I would have loved to know more about them. More flashbacks. It would have helped to build and explain their personalities. 
 Also, I would have really enjoy knowing more about secondary characters, especially Rhy. But then again, there were not many secondary characters to talk about, because Schwab FUCKING KILLS THEM ALL. (view spoiler)[Guys I was SO READY to ship Rhy and Parrish, I LOVED Parrish the second he was even mentioned, and Schwab goes and FUCKING KILLS HIM. SHE KILLS THEM ALL. (hide spoiler)] These author really enjoys getting rid of people. I'm not complaining, but to be honest I was not ready. 
 MORE STUFF: 
 Something I really liked and am so grateful for: Schwab doesn't let romantic bullshit get in the way of the story. There was almost no romance, and for contemporary books, that's saying a lot. It felt like a breathe of fresh air. 
 One last thing to add: the ending, which confused me the most. I'm not saying I didn't like it, I really did. But everything seems to end so well. As well as things could ever end after hell broke lose, anyways. There was no mayor cliff hanger. Once again, I'm not complaining. I just guess I'm really used to cliff hangers at the end of books when it comes to sagas. I don't know what awaits me with A Gathering of Shadows, but I guess that kind of thrills me. 
 In conclusion, yes, I liked it. I was just a bit, I don't know, disappointed, since I had such high expectations. High expectations are a bitch, y'all. I'm intrigued as to what will happen from now on.