Alina and Mal are on the run but The Darkling is never far behind. With the help of a new friend/foe? Sturmhond they may have a chance to escape him. Alina needs to lead the Grisha and work on taking back the fold. Mal feels a bit left behind and without a purpose. 
 The Darking makes an intriguing villain but I especially loved to hate him during this book. He really is not going to give up and is quite psychotic. I was rooting for Sturmhond to kick some Darkling butt. I loved Sturmhond! But not for Alina, for me! LOL He was hilarious and cocky and his lines kept me laughing and turning the pages. His interactions with both Mal and Alina were great. I loved how Mal said he was worried because even he can't resist his charms. This series is full of some truly awesome characters. 
 Alina continues to become more powerful and badass. I love Mal but he did have a bit of an attitude and made some mistakes. He is having trouble finding his place and knowing what his purpose is. Things have turned and Alina has all the attention. Mal is a talented tracker and has many good qualities that I'm sure once he figures things out he and Alina will be a powerful couple. There were some interesting things that happened when Mal was around and I am excited to see where it leads. I don't want to go any further for those that haven't had a chance to start the series but it has it all! Excellent characters, action, romance, magic and world building. 
 I love that Alina and Mal have known each other all their lives. People talk about the love triangle or square or whatever you want to call it but since the beginning it seemed like they were meant to be and will end up together. Mal followed Alina and supported her through so much already. Although he is a bit lost it is kind of understandable since people are trying to kill them or make them do things every five minutes. 
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 "The Darkling will hunt you for the rest of your days." 
 "Then you and I will have something in common, won't we? Besides, I like to have powerful enemies. Makes me feel important." 
 Mal crossed his arms and considered the privateer. "I can't decide if you're crazy or stupid." 
 "I have so many good qualities," Sturmhond said. "It can he hard to choose." 
 "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked. 
 "Of course not," said Sturmhond. "Anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea." 
 "It's still the same heart, Mal. It's still yours." 
 "And there's no way I'm leaving you alone with Prince Perfect." 
 "So you don't trust me to resist his charms?" 
 "I don't even trust myself. I've never seen anyone work a crowd the way he does. I'm pretty sure the rocks and trees are getting ready to swear fealty to him." 
 "I have loved you all my life, Mal. There is no end to our story."