I really wanted to like this book. I really did. There was so much hype surrounding this series, and based on what I had heard about the plot, I thought I was definitely going to enjoy it. 
 I was wrong. 
 My first issue with this book is the protagonist. Celaena was sold to me as this badass assassin who is one of the best in the land. Her name is feared and still whispered in certain parts. But, don't get your hopes up because you never actually get to see this badassery. She just likes to tell you she's the best assassin. And remind you. And remind you again. The entire book was filled with so much telling and no showing whatsoever when it came to her skills. Also, for being an assassin, she wasn't very stealthy, subtle, controlled, or even mature. She's easily riled and you never see her use her wits to win a battle. Also, so many people unintentionally sneak up on her that it's ridiculous. 
 Did I mention Celaena survived a year in a death camp? I really should because you will probably forget halfway through the book. Apparently, the only marks the camp left were physical scars because her psyche does not seem harmed in the slightest. She is no less whiny, arrogant or obsessed with looks. 
 In fact....you hardly even see any action. I went in thinking this book was going to be more like Hunger Games in the sense of showing us the challenges and the competitors. You get to see a couple of competitions, but after a while they are skipped entirely. Instead, we're practically imprisoned in her room as we watch her get dressed and admire herself in the mirror, read instead of practicing and strategizing how to win her freedom, eat candy without worrying about its potential dangerous source, and play pool because hey why the hell not? I never cared about the "friends" or allies she makes throughout the competitions because we never really spent time with them. I'm was not affected when people were eliminated because I couldn't even remember their name. 
 The romance felt forced and one dimensional. It was more along the lines of: "Hey, hot person. You're so hot. Did you know I'm hot too? I'm going to put the most cliche moves on you because I wasn't written to be deep". Even the times we are in the suitor's POVs it didn't feel like it contributed anything to their character. Their sections were always dedicated to Celaena. They were either looking for her, or secretly admiring her, or fighting their feelings for her. 
 Honestly I can go on and on about this book and how disappointed I am. I think I'm more disappointed because I had such high hopes for it. Not only was there so much hype around it, but the premise seemed to promising. Everything sounded so intriguing, but it felt like such a bait and switch. The plot was predictable and the characters were either hollow or terribly annoying. The bad people are really bad and the good people are indifferent to the bad people apparently. 
 Many people say the series gets better and part of me is curious to see if that's true. For now, I'm going to take a break from Celaena and the gang.