***Five glittering and glowing stars*** 
 This one earned all of those stars, easily. 
 It was really, really stunning. 
 I went into this only having read Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and wasn't blown away by it by any means, so didn't continue with the series. But this one. Oh man. Oooooohhhhh man. 
 I feel like everyone and their mom has already read this, and I'm late to this party, but I genuinely want to be considered for admittance into this book's fanclub. I'm sorry it took me so long to read this. I'M A DUMMY.*barrels my way through the crowd* 
 For those of you who haven't read it and are considering this jewel of a book, let me give you an Erica-style rendition of the plot. 
 The plot revolves around a super dangerous heist and a group of criminals that are attempting to complete the clandestine challenge. (yay alliteration) In this world there are people known as Grisha who possess superhuman powers. These powers differ for each individual and really remind me of X-men. They are generally outcasted from society and some groups view them as demonic. To add to this strain, a new drug has been developed that enhances their powers to a millionth degree and makes them indestructible. Yet, it also creates addiction and withdrawls after basically one use. If they do not give themselves further doses, they essentially wither and die. :( (although they also wither and die if they DO take it soooo its kinda a catch-22 disappointment-fest) :( 
 So one of the leaders of the semi-normal (meaning not super-zealous about destroying Grisha) enlists this criminal gang to capture the man who knows the formula. Although he also happens to be imprisoned in the super-zealots super-jail. Yet, the leader guy offers them an absurd amount of money to do it too. That's the general gist. 
 But but but the part I'm most excited to talk about is the CHARACTERS! They are so freaking cool!! And there's a group of them so if you don't favor one, there's a bunch more to emotionally latch onto! Plus, the story is told in varying POV so you have a chance to understand everyone's perspectives. I'm gonna tell u a little about each person because I want to. It may be redundant and unnecessary. But I super want to. Merp. Don't question me. 
 OKAY. 
 First up we have Kaz Brekker, an infamous thief and criminal, and the leader of this misfit crew. He is very emotionally distant from his co-patriots, but designs the schemes and selects the others, so he does trust them, in his own strange, stilted way. He is seventeen and walks with a cane/ limp and always wears gloves, so people are generally confused/scared of him because they're all impressed by his sneaky skills. Personality-wise he is very commanding, deceitful, powerful, reclusive, and mastermind-y. 
 Next we have his not-so-secret love and generally-acknowledged badass, Inej. Her name originally reminded me of the Myers-Briggs personality test names (I'm an INFJ in case you were wondering). She is known as the Wraith. She was trained in acrobatics so can climb up stuff, over stuff, around stuff, without making any noise or being noticed. Kaz at one point referred to her as a spider. She's an excellent secret keeper and stealthy as hell so serves as Kaz's confidant and most trusted associate. She is both mentally and emotionally intelligent (in contrast to Kaz who lacks the emotional intelligence) and also devoted, confident, supportive, dependable, and deadly. She is about sixteen and was captured and forced into prostitution about two years ago. Kaz paid for her freedom from the brothel. Also so I don't have to keep saying it, all these people are basically seventeen. 
 Then we have the other female force in the story, Nina. Holy fuck she's awesome. She made my favorite-heroines list. (It's a big deal, okay. I'm very particular about who makes the list). She is a Grisha and can essentially control people's organs and internal functions. So for example, at the beginning of the story she was working as a sort of therapist to calm people's heartbeats and give them feelings of happiness in their brains if they were depressed or facing hardship. Her powers also give her the ability to kill anyone with a swift twist of her hand or generally any other movement if she wants to. In regards to her actual personality, she is vivacious, flirtatious, cunning, manipulative, charismatic, and evocative. She served as a warrior in the Grisha army and also has a complicated, sexy-ish relationship with the character I will explain next. First let me tell you a few quotes of hers, try not to swoon. The first is Nina talking to Matthias: 
 "It's not natural for women to fight." 
 "It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand." 
 And here's one where she's being playful with Matthias and making him uncomfortable. 
 "Oh, I see. I'm the wicked Grisha seductress. I have beguiled you with my Grisha wiles!" 
 She poked him in the chest. 
 "Stop that." 
 "No. I'm beguiling you." 
 I actually laughed when I read that. 
 Now we have Matthias, Nina's semi-douchey but totally lovable warrior man. He was one of the top guys in the army that wants to kill the Grisha. So the foundation here between the two is unstable at best. Our first introduction to his character revolves around another heist by the group to break him out of prison, where he was being held for treason. The gang isn't friends with him, but Nina wants to set him free and also they need him to give them a lowdown of the place they're ultimately trying to break into, since it's on his homeland and he was a major warrior and stuff. He starts out the story super bitter and uninterested in the plan, until Kaz offers to help him get reinstated in the army, so he begrudgingly agrees to help. Words to describe him would be sensitive, loyal, a zealot, devoted, somewhat prudish and religious, kind, and brave. Here's a quote about him being bitter but kind of giving in to a joke while the group is talking: 
 "Jesper knocking his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. "Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost." 
 Brekker's lips quirked. "I'll just hire Matthias' ghost to kick your ghost's ass." 
 "My ghost won't associate with your ghost," Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain." 
 :D Come on, that's adorable. 
 Next we have Jesper. What a cheerful little pup. He is the sharpshooter of the gang with a few secrets of his own. He is a long-struggling gambling addict who is incredibly in debt. He is super willing to do this heist because if they succeed, the money he will earn will pay off his debts. Character-wise he is absolutely adorable. He is playful, fun, jolly, bubbly, thrill-seeking, impulsive, and a total mush. :) 
 Lastly, we have Wylan, the non-criminal of the group. He is an expert engineer who can rewire locks and deconstruct mechanical compositions and analyze them. He's running with the group because his dad, the guy that enlisted them for this dangerous project, kicked him out for a mysterious reason and now Wylan wants to best him. He is somewhat weak at the beginning and treated without much respect because he's so new to all of this, especially from Jesper. But he grows throughout the story. He's a cutie. Since I'm doing the adjective thing, let's continue it here too. His adjectives would be dependable, underrated, mathematically-inclined, fast-learner, adaptable, sweet, and humble. 
 So even if the heist plot line doesn't overly interest you, LOOK at these characters and tell me you're not even a bit curious to get to know them. I dare you. 
 BUT of all these, the two characters that TOTALLY stole the show for me were Kaz and Nina. Hands down they were fully fleshed and incredible. Both were flawed but so distinct. I loved when the POV was theirs. 
 For some strange reason I also found myself tearing up during this book ???? Idk if I was just feeling super sensitive yesterday or what because this wasn't overly sad or about people dying or whatever. Yet when interpersonal strife arose between the characters and there was a touching moment, I was genuinely emotionally affected. Usually I'm just lounging and rolling my eyes and waiting for them to kiss. But, not this time folks. Which I can credit to Bardugo's fabulous writing and the vivid way she takes the reader through the story and creates her characters. The writing was phenomenal and the characters were phenomenal and ahhhhhhh it was soooooo good. Totally lived up to the hype. 
 Also, as someone who constantly evaluates how women are being portrayed in books/media/whatever, I give my stamp of feminist approval to this book. Congrats book. Not only were the woman characterized great on their own, but when they interacted together it was also awesome. It was believable and powerful. They were essential members of the group who brought their own distinct personalities to the table. 
 Loved this one, highly recommend it.