** spoiler alert ** 
 I love fantasy. It doesn't even need to be particularly original for me to like it. 
 Which leads me to the question: why was I bored with this book? This should have been a SURE thing. An easy 5 star read. But it really, really wasn't. Here's why: 
 1) The plot was boring 
 2) The characters were boring 
 More details for anyone (no one) who's interested: 
 -I didn't KNOW the characters. They were empty and shallow. Kell was supposed to be a "bad boy" prince but the smuggling seemed out of character (the little character we were actually shown). It seemed to be a trait created purely for the plot. So that the black stone could be taken to another London. Which brings me onto... 
 -Too many things happened just so the plot could progress. For example, Kell and Lila needed sanctuary, so SUDDENLY Kell had a magic teacher and a room that was his to use whenever he needed (like teachers have space to give rooms to all of the ex-students?). This Master Can't-Remember-His-Name had never been mentioned previously and was subsequently never mentioned again. 
 -LILA. So boring. With her hardened jaw blah blah. No character, no connection. She really doesn't contribute to the plot, the story could've worked without her. Also FYI, to be strong, you have to dress like a man. 
 -Pointless characters that don't add anything. For example, Parrish. And Beloc, who turned up at the end and I had completely forgotten who he was. We wasted a lot of time on these people. And a lot of chapters from others POV that contributed zero. 
 -Too much tell and no show. For example, Kell telling us how he's the black sheep and feels unloved and used as a tool could've been shown more. There was nothing to back this up. The King and Queen, as underdeveloped as they were, were fine with Kell. 
 -The book was supposed to be adult, but it had a very YA feel to it 
 -The magic made NO sense. Fantasy and paranormal need to have rules so that we can understand it. I had no idea what the limitations were. I had no idea why Kell used magic at certain times and not at others. I had no idea why he used certain spells over others. There needs to be structure and clarity. Instead, it felt like magic was a tool for the plot to progress the way it did. 
 -What was frustrating was that Kell, who is supposed to be the most powerful, was almost always useless. In every circumstance. Even more so than Lila. In fact, I was disappointed by the climax. I just didn't get Athos, how he fought his way to the top in a brutal world, managed to bind Holland, and he was defeated so quickly by the classic reverse psychology. I was also disappointed by Kell sending Holland to Black London! With absolutely no regret. 
 I'm disappointed by this book. Though I won't give up on this author as readers have strongly recommended her other book Vicious. This one, however, was not for me.