I listened to this as an audio book, and I think I'm glad I did. 
 I haven't yet decided if I want to keep going with this series. 
 I enjoyed the first book. It was a slow start; I wasn't sure if I'd like it and it took a while to hook me. Maybe...halfway through? I just got into it and kept going. 
 (view spoiler)[But I think I decided I wanted that epic romance to be there for Karou, to be a foundation for what she faces in the future, and I was... kind of shocked when it took the turn it did. I realize that the series probably puts it back where it's intended to be, but in my own head I feel like I've kind of etched out the end of the book and replaced it with my own. Which honestly makes it okay for me to not continue with the series. 
 Feel free to tell me I'm wrong, that the rest of the books totally make this ending worth it. I'll think about picking it back up. At this point, though...Kind of leaning toward being okay with stopping here. (hide spoiler)]