Took a bit to get into, but eventually I fell deeply into the story... 
 It took me a few chapters to really get into and get a feel for the book. After just finishing ACOMAF for the second time, I think I was used to the slightly more mature writing style in that book and so it took a minute for my brain to get out of ACOMAF mode. After a few chapters though, the complexities of the characters and the world they live in really became fascinating and drew me in very deeply. Maas seems to have a talent for creating characters that are realistically flawed and that readers grow to love and connect with, as well as a talent for fascinating worlds that are deep and vast in their histories and descriptions. 
 The only thing that prevented me from giving this book a 5 star rating was that it did take a little time to suck me in in the beginning and I think that was at least partially (if not mostly) due to just coming immediately off of reading ACOMAF a second time. If I could give this a 4.5 rating instead, I would, and I may change it at a later date after a second reading. 
 I've already started the second book and I went ahead and bought the third as well, so obviously I would highly recommend this series to everyone that enjoys YA Fantasy.