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Jan 03, 2020onepandella rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Six criminals take on the task to pull off an impossible heist into one of the most secure places in the world. All of them are different - a criminal prodigy, a spy, a sharpshooter, a Grisha, a convict, a runaway - but they come together and assemble a plan to pull off the most daring thing they've ever done. 4.5/5 - This book has a lot of hype and I was worried it would disappoint, but holy heck this book is amazing. It's not flawless - objectively there's still some things it could've done better - but it's so unique when compared to all the other books in it's genre. It's not generic and it actually stands out against the crowd. This book is dark, dirty, cruel; it's great. And the worldbuilding? The characters? The plot?? All of it is so well=developed, thought out, and beautifully woven together. I recommend this for anyone who wants a fantasy pick-me-up (I read this in 4 days). Definitely reading the sequel. All the POVs in this book are written the same but have small subtle differences; I can tell when I'm reading from Matthias' POV versus Jesper's POV. And I love that. And the characters? AH. When we first met Kaz I thought he would be some generic teenage boy with some tragic past, but after the second chapter I was in love. He took me by surprise (this whole book did honestly). Kaz's backstory too just enriched his character. ALL of their backstories enriched the characters, and despite there being so many characters it made it really easy for me to care about them. I really admire too how each character's insecurities were woven into their POV; Kaz's trauma, Inej's self-doubt, Nina's fear for her people, Matthias' shift in beliefs, Jesper's restless energy. It wasn't written in a super obvious way, rather it was simply apart of their narrative, like how these insecurities are apart of their character. That one chapter with Jesper - when they were escaping the prison cell - I was sCReaming when he was revealed to be gay AND a Grisha. And Inej? The scene with Kaz and her on the boat - I respect her SO much for putting herself over some half-hearted hope of love. It was so good. The plot too was very intricate, along with the worldbuilding. It was all super detailed, immersive, fast-paced, and I loved it. However, some flaws: the first chapter is confusing, (and IDK if it's just me but) the writing isn't super descriptive; I had a hard time picturing the setting. What I Take Away: This is the kind of story I want to write. This is what character development looks like. This is what worldbuilding looks like. This book taught me about strength, determination, love, friendship, etc. I just really love and admire what this book is :)