This review is spoiler free! 
 It took me an entire year to work up the courage to finish one of my favorite series. I thought I was finally emotionally prepared, but I was not. 
 The feels, I swear. 
 I fell in love again with characters I had forgotten about (hey, it's been a year, cut me some slack) and I was reminded how great even the secondary characters in this series are. Not a single one feels similar to another, and I love how unique they all are. 
 As for our main players, there was some truly great character development, especially in Mal, who I began to dislike in the second book. Although there was some angst I liked how he and Alina were willing and ready to do whatever was necessary to end all this. 
 I wish some characters NIKOLAI had better treatment I but in regards to The Darkling I was content with the ending. I love how Bardugo wrote his character and wow, FEELS. Especially if you read his prequel story The Demon in the Wood directly after. 
 Guys, the quotes in this one! They were so amazing!"Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay."There was some slow pacing towards the beginning but once things started to get going around page forty of fifty, it was great and fast paced from then on out. 
 Did I mention the feels yet? 
 Even though I had some small issues with it and it's not the "perfect" conclusion I wished for, it's one that fits this series excellently, in my opinion. I couldn't imagine it any other way. 
 Feels. I'll be forever sobbing over that last line.