Agh. This was sooooo good. I waited a while to read this because I had such mixed emotions for the first one, but Rhysand was calling and man, oh man, am I glad I answered his call. 
 Hot and bothered. Two words that accurately describe what I was feeling most of the time while reading this book. HOT. AND. BOTHERED. This book was sexy, steamy, dreamy...etc. Everything. This book was everything. 
 Rhys was my favorite character in the first book, and I absolutely loved that he dominated this second book. I couldn't get enough of him. He's so complicated and dark and twisty. He's just an amazing character. Seriously, kudos to Maas for having created this beautiful creature. Feyre bugged me for most of the first half of the book. But she came around toward the second half and just kicked ass. She's so strong and bold, and no spoilers or anything but she is there are major elements to her that are flat-out awesome. The newcomers are freaking awesome. Cassian and Azriel are so cool, Amren is fascinating, and Mor is amazing! 
 I loved getting to know more of Prythian. The Night Court is heavenly and I enjoyed the glimpse into the Summer Court. I'm hoping to see more of the other courts eventually. I thought the plot was interesting. I will say that there were times that the plot itself was slow, but I never really noticed it because the characters are so dang interesting. Like, yeah there may not have been a lot going on in terms of the Books and meeting the queens, but I was entertained by just reading the characters interactions with one another. 
 I also realized halfway through the book that the first book wasn't necessarily a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. If anything, this second book was the retelling. The beast is someone entirely different and one of the antagonists makes perfect sense. I wasn't even sad when a few twists were presented toward the end. Made absolute sense! There's also a dash of the Greek mythology of Hades and Persephone mixed into the story. I loved that! 
 Overall, this book has heartbreak, excitement, romance and passion, and everything else you could want. It's a wonderful fantasy story and I really, really enjoyed it!