Clearly I took a break from this series. I'm glad because I probably would have ripped my hair out of my head had I continued. 
 There was so much promise in this series, and I never managed to get on board the hype train. It dragged me along forcibly. There's just so much that's lacking - I still don't understand the depths of the Grisha magic and much of the Grisha world unless it serves a specific plot point. I want to KNOW the world, I want to be immersed in it when there is such a marvelous expanse to be discovered. 
 This entire series felt like it was winding up to explode...and it just didn't deliver. It was predictable and utterly unoriginal. The epilogue wasn't even satisfying. I still don't connect with Alina much, I absolutely despise Mal and his clear fragile masculinity, and I still adore The Darkling and Nikolai. I love them. Their characterization? Ugh yes please. 
 (view spoiler)[ I was pretty pleased when Mal died, especially after the confusing bit where he's the third amplifier? WHAT? HOW? 
 Then he came back and Alina lost all her power. How convenient for Mal, because all he ever wanted was Alina to be normal and not more powerful than him because HOW DARE SHE. (hide spoiler)] 
 I honestly have no intentions of revisiting this series. I have heard marvelous things about Bardugo's other series, which takes place in the same world, so I'm definitely excited to start those. Bardugo's writing is lovely even thought I'm extremely disappointed that this series didn't pan out.