So this starts with an admission. When I picked up this book I had no idea it was the second book in a series. As soon as I figured this out I was more than tempted to put it down and wait until I read the first one - because that's the logical thing to do, even if it would have taken me forever. 
 I didn't do that, and I'm so glad I didn't. This book was an absolute joy to read all the way through. I was clueless on the events of the first book but the narrative gave you all the information you needed as you went, so I never felt disconnected from the things I'd missed. As someone who hasn't delved into the teen genre for a while, this book served as a real eye opener into just what these books can work with these days, and this was something I really needed to learn. 
 All that said, I get the impression that the biggest influence on whether someone will enjoy this book or not is whether they enjoy the main character. I, for one, loved her. As an assassin she was everything that a lot of female protagonists usually aren't allowed to be; brash, angry, and always wanting to react with violence. This was super refreshing, and it really let me connect with her perspective even though I share none of her characteristics. The only drawback was that I found some of the minor characters to be a bit extreme and overly simplified. It didn't lessen my experience at the time, as I had no expectations for this novel whatsoever, but as time went on it stuck out to me more and more. Still, it's a minor complaint for a novel that was so thoroughly enjoyable, and I'll definitely be looking into the sequels in the future.