This book was better than the first book. It was 100 times more interesting and well-written and beautiful. It tore at my emotions and I swear I was crying halfway through when I realized that the next book in this series won't come out until September. 
 Chaol, my love, I have to wait until September to read about you again. 
 I haven't found any interesting YA novels in a while. I was beginning to give up on my search. Everything I ever came across while searching for the perfect novel sounded like another LOVE STORY ABOUT STARCROSSED LOVERS or another STORY ABOUT OVERTHROWING THE OVERPOWERING SOCIETY THEY LIVED IN. 
 This book is new. It's interesting. It has a tinge of everything you could want in a YA novel, and the author organizes it perfectly so that the romance is not overbearing and that there is actually a main plot and mystery. 
 HEY THERE IS PROBABLY A SPOILER OR TWO AHEAD SO BE WARNED 
 Let's start with the Romance, since I've already mentioned it. Like I said earlier, it's not overdone. It's not something that the main character Caelaena can't function without. It's there, hidden in the background, but it doesn't make the main characters do anything irrational. I especially love the romance that brewed between Chaol and Calaena. It wasn't rushed. I could see how it grew from the first book. I'm not really a fan of Dorians' and I'll get to that later. 
 The Characters are beautifully written. The three main characters to be exact: 
 CALAENA: She improved since the first book, majorly. She became more the assassin she claimed to be. Sure, she still made some decisions that made me want to scream at her (WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GOSH JUST FRIGGEN KISS CHAOL ALREADY! CAN'T YOU SEE HE LOVES YOU SOOOOO MUCH!) I loved her so much in this book. She was a warrior. She was the King's Champion. It was believable this time. 
 CHAOL: He's also changed slightly since the last book. The one thing I love about Chaol is that he thinks logical majority of the time. He knows what will happen if he crosses the King in any way. He knows it could mean life and death if he steps out of line. So when he does step out of line, he does it in a way no one would be able to question. He did the right thing in the end, in my opinion. I just wish he was going with her, but oh well I'm sure it will all make sense in the 3rd Book. Oh and of course I was yelling at Chaol too near the end of the book. (KISS HER! MAYBE SHE'LL FORGIVE YOU! MAYBE SHE'LL LOVE YOU BACK! I LOVE YOU CHAOL!) 
 DORIAN: I'm just going to say it: Dorian is my least favorite character. Why? There are so many reasons why. He doesn't really do much in my opinion. In the first book he did things without thinking about her safety sometimes. In this book he was just a man who struggled with magic that he just discovered and fumed at the council tables when things he didn't like were said. Chaol stays strong and firm no matter what. He's able to hide his emotions. Dorian is like a walking emoticon. EVERYONE CAN SEE WHAT HE'S THINKING. Even the King can see that there's some drama going on just by looking at Dorian. Chaol can tell that Dorian is jealous all the time. Even Nehemia can see it. He's also so gullible. I won't elaborate on this anymore. I just can't really stand his character and the way he talks like he knows what he's doing. I was laughing with joy when Calaena bashed his head on the stairs when he tried to drag her away from Chaol and her dog. Like really Dorian? Were you really just going to leave Chaol there to die? Like, seriously? Chaol would do anything so save Prince Dorian... but Dorian doesn't seem to think of that. Enough said for this guy. 
 LIKE I SAID EARLIER: This book was amazing. I haven't read a book this quick since... The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. I haven't been this engrossed in characters since... well since I can't remember when. Maybe since Vampire Academy or City of Bones. Maybe since the Tigers Curse or Wings or The Iron Queen. Yes, I rank this series that high because it's amazingly written. It's amazingly done. The only regret I have is reading this so quick and now I have to wait five months for the third book. 
 Ugh! CHAOL! (Background music of "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons)