This was a very interesting book, and I'm not entirely sure what I thought of it. It was original, and the characters were fairly unique, and the story moved along well, but I still found myself annoyed at the characters quite often, and I didn't absolutely love it. I guess 3.5 stars would be a fair rating. 
 My first thought about the book was that wow, the main character sure is vain! As an assassin who's been locked in a salt mine for the last year, basically the first thing she does when she gets out is admire herself in the mirror and daydream about all the dresses she'll buy in town? Argh! But, by the same token, she is unique in that she's a total badass AND somewhat of a girly girl. I guess I have to give her props for that. She's super wishy-washy though. I mean, she tells another girl how she'd rather cut out her own heart than love a Havilliard, but the next thing you know she's making out with Dorian Havilliard himself. I admire her character's strength and the fact that she has her own set of weaknesses as well, but she's not always super well-written. 
 Chaol is the typical tall, handsome, and brooding hero. Pretty ordinary, nothing much to note about him except that he shows up unannounced to Celaena's rooms quite a bit. It doesn't seem proper, given the setting and medieval atmosphere of the book, but Dorian is just as bad about that. He's pretty ordinary as far as love interests go as well, although I do like him quite a bit more than Chaol. Usually. 
 The plot was by far the best part of the book. There was the main storyline with the competition, with an underlying plot involving champions who mysteriously turn up brutally murdered. Throw in some dark magic and demons (literally-- it is that kind of book) and some political shenanigans, and it's quite a compelling story. I didn't know who was responsible for what until the very end. It kept me guessing, and I really appreciated that. I was pleasantly surprised, especially given my initial impressions of the characters. 
 There was some heavy foreshadowing in this book, as well as some mysteries that weren't yet solved. I will be continuing the series, and hope the second book has the same fast-paced, twisting plot that this one had, and that maybe the author will have the chance to build up and strengthen her characters in the sequel.