Fire is behind my compresion. And, again, I'm the bookish black sheep, because I didn't like this book at all. 
 First of all, it's considered as a Graceling's prequel but it's not, since there are like zero facts about Gracelings, about Monsea, Katsa or Po. It's totally another story that I connected to the first book of the series only by a fatality commited by Fire. But in the end... if you're searching to discover more about Monsea's world, this isn't the book for you. 
 Honestly, when I understood that Leck was going to be the main villain, I was really happy. That was a great occasion to discover more about him, but I was utterly disappointed. Also, I didn't find him to be so unforgettable. He's one of the many sociopath that a reader can find all around million of books, he's a villain mastermind with his grey moral monologue, trying to making Fire pass to the dark side. 
 But there are other villains! Ah... wait. No, there aren't. They're memories and names threw around the whole novel. Just amazing. 
 Honestly, there are so many things about Cansrel that could have make him a great villain - leaving outside drug addiction and rapes - but so little things were explained about him. He was just bad, and that's quite clear, but in my mind he remained nothing more then a flat image. 
 I didn't like Fire and probably that was the major issue I had with this book. She's a Mary Sue, incredibile fighter, with a weepping heart and beatiful. Everytime... oh, guys, look! It's Fire. She's so beautiful. Beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. 
 Stop, please. 
 I didn't appreciate her relationship with Archer, that seemed like a long up and down that she didn't want to break because of... something, I suppose, and Archer who is so in love but get laid with every women that breath. It's not like he must remain pure for the rest of his life but try to get over Fire, at least. Go on with your life and don't use other girls. Beacuse that's what Archer does. 
 Yes, girls are consensual, but during the book I always had the feeling that he was dropping promise there and here, with no intention to keeping them. Results? Pregnant women everywhere. 
 Also, it quite botherd me that two of Fire new friends got laid with Archer, with the result of having a baby. Yes, Fire was already broking her love-like relationship with Archer, but in my world, friends wait. They talk to eachother about feeling attraction towards someone that, in a way or another, was still someone significat to one of them. 
 I was hoping to see something in Brigan but I found him to be full of emotion just like a stone can be. So, I had many issue with the relationships between the characters, the whole plot - let's throw around rape but never talk deeply about it - and to the whole worldbuilding that I didn't find to be so much coherent and realistic.