The sequel to Throne of Glass lives up to the expectations set by the first, though without becoming a stunning masterpiece. I liked the first one better. The rapid development of the main relationship irked me a bit; it was simply too solid to be entirely believable and the inevitable result of such a bond felt a bit too predictable and was less than heart-wrenching. The romance taking center-stage was also a bit off-putting, being that it was so well-done in the wings of the first one. Though the competition is over, there still should have been other, more important things receiving more time on the main stage.
          I deeply enjoyed the greying morality, and the struggle of various characters to find the line within self-preservation between duly cautious realism and cowardice. The motivations and moral dilemmas of the characters, particularly of Celaena, reminded me strongly of the same fight occurring inside the main character of Marie Lu's the Rose Society, and I was deeply pleased to see how much more exquisitely depicted the struggle became within Maas's characters. Overall, this is a fabulous sequel within an aptly epic fantasy world.
          The series is taking several turns that I wasn't expecting and haven't quite come around to liking them all just yet, but I am still very eager to see how things develop in book three!

                  Another exhilarating page-turner!

           This is a fantastic kick-off to what will surely turn out to be a truly epic series! The lines of adventure and action of the plot are pushed and pulled by the subtle twists of intrigue created by the plethora of individual interests and motivations of the many well-developed characters. The depth and breadth of the cast is truly fantastic, and their unique and wholly developed schemes are intricately woven together to create a treacherous landscape that comes to life in a fully functional fictional universe.
           While some of the names are a bit iffy on the tongue, the characters and places themselves are richly crafted. It's certainly one of the best ground-up fantasy universes I've seen in YA fiction in a while. There are twists and sudden turns on every page and nearly all of them are simultaneously very logical, and yet rather deliciously surprising.
           The romantic lines are on the back-burner, a place perfectly suited to them in light of the circumstances around the characters concerned. The relationships, both the loves and friendships being portrayed, develop in a very realistic manner: touching every facet of the characters' lives without becoming the sort of 'great romance' that all too often narrows great sagas into rather trite tales.

                                  It's a fantastic read!

           After the slog of An Ember in the Ashes I needed something short and sweet and I found Flunked to perfectly suit me. Being Kids' Lit, it did get a bit preachy at times, but for the most part it was a delightfully subtle commentary on what defines right and wrong. The main character is perfectly depicted as a morally mystified 12-year-old, flipping with believe-able inconstancy between thinking of herself as a villain and as doing what was necessary. It made me think of the moral turmoil within Marie Lu's the Young Elites, and honestly, I think it was done better here.
            The Fairy Tale aspects are delightfully consistent, and presented with a wonderful quirkiness that keeps the playfulness of kids lit alive. The characters are all very well fleshed out and each of them develops and presents new sides of themselves to the reader throughout the story. It's a very well done novel for any age, and its delightfully sophisticated for a middle-grade audience. There's nothing in it that will go over the kids' heads, but it's not so simple so as to bore an older reader.

                        Over all, it is an EXCELLENT read!