I didn't expect to enjoy this so much. The characters, the worldbuilding, and the writing... Oh, the writing. Laini Taylor is one of those authors whose prose is so vibrant I wonder if I should just put away my pen forever. 
 The love story didn't quite work for me ((view spoiler)[even though the love at first sight gets somewhat explained by their connected backstories, it seemed too fast (hide spoiler)]), but I have a feeling this would have gone on my Favorites shelf when I was still a starry-eyed teenager. (view spoiler)[It was obvious to me that Karou was Madrigal, too, though the details of that transformation ended up being pretty cool. (hide spoiler)] 
 If you enjoy well-written, imaginative fantasy YA, I highly recommend this.