I like this book, but I'd be lying if I said that is was a solid 4 star read for me. I feel that this was more of a 3.5, but I'm going to round up since there was more here that I liked than things that I disliked. I won't lie: you will likely either absolutely adore this book or you'll hate it with a passion. 
 Part of what I liked about this book were some of the things that I also disliked about it. I liked the way the characters spoke and acted, but then at the same time this tended to work against it at times. The characters are just far too precocious and well, "quirky" for their own good. I say quirky because there really isn't that great of an alternate word for the way they act. They're all interesting, but sometimes it just seems like the author tried a little too overly hard to make everyone as interesting and unique as he could make them. It makes for a fun read, but also a frustrating one since you never quite forget that these are all characters in a novel. Of course that isn't to say that you won't find some characters that you'll absolutely adore- I couldn't help but fall in love with Shelley, who is treated like a freak by just about everyone in town but is quite possibly one of the most intelligent people in the book. I was glad that they expanded on her character a little more for the television show. I just really can't get enough of her. Other characters are interesting enough and there wasn't anyone I truly hated, although at times I really just wanted to tell Roman to grow a pair. 
 Plot-wise, this was decent. The whodunit of the killer is rather well done and not really something that you could completely predict. I'd had the ending spoiled for me by Google searches, so I had the ability to look at some of the little hints dropped here and there. If you're curious, the television series seems to be almost identical to the book, down to the lines everyone says. The only difference is that Chausser isn't as big of a character here as she is in the TV show, nor is Christina, surprisingly. She's more shown in recorded side conversations than actual direct scenes. There's also a difference in how Nicolae was cast out from the gypsies, not that this makes a huge impact in how anything plays out. 
 Now I know what you're thinking: book or TV show? You could read both, but I'm guessing that at least a few people will be wondering if they should read the book since they weren't that thrilled with the show. It's understandable: sometimes the book will be better than the show and vice-versa. The book does have the benefit of allowing the reader a little more insight into what people are thinking while they're doing whatever they do, so the book has that going for it. However because the two are pretty much so identical that I'd probably say that if you didn't like the show, you're not likely to love this book. I'd recommend it, but only as a library read if this is the case. If you loved the show, go ahead and buy the book. You're probably going to like it. 
 My only warning is apparently there won't be anymore books for the HG series. Apparently the author changed his mind and wants to focus solely on the Netflix show. If you're not into television and/or don't have Netflix, you'll want to approach this with caution. The main plot point, the capturing of the murderer, is wrapped up fairly cleanly by the end of the book, but there are a lot of loose ends left over here. There's a sense of endings of a sort when it comes to knowing pretty much how things will end for a lot of people, but you're left with more questions than answers. It's not so bad that I'd say not to read it because of this, though. I'd just recommend that you know that there isn't a neatly tied up ending here. Overall though, this wasn't bad and if there is another book, I'd give it a read.