Review Detail

I've seen this book in my library for about a year and I kept passing by it because it didn't seem interesting. I saw so many good reviews though on booktube, I finally decided to read this. The world Holly Black creates is very fascinating and the way she portrays the story is amazing. I love the characters she has created and the story has the right amount of romance and action. That is all for the non-spoiler part of this review because I literally cannot talk about this book without spoiling.

THIS PART CONTAINS SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS, DO NOT CONTINUE!!!

So when Tana first introduced Aiden, I had a deep hatred for him. In all honesty, he seemed like a douche and I couldn't understand why she was ever with him. I mean, he would kiss others in front of her and tried to get her to kiss another guy in front of him and I just cannot fathom why she stayed with him. I did however appreciate that Holly Black made him bisexual because you don't find a lot of popular guy bisexuals in fiction. He later became a pretty alright character and I appreciated that he stopped trying to rekindle a relationship that was never meant to work.
Now getting to the actual world Holly Black created. I was amazed by the amount of detail she put into world building. She gives so many specifics on how people become vampires and how the situation has escalated throughout the years giving rise to the Coldtowns. She also points out the flaws in the system which is so rare, even in the real world, which was really refreshing. I always have a deep appreciation for authors who can create an entire world with such detail. She gave us so much information about this world I honestly feel like it is real, like I found myself at night while I was reading this book paranoid at the thought that vampires might come busting into my room at anytime.
Gavriel. Jesus... that boy or should I say man. He's such a mysterious character and I love it. The cryptic sayings he has really gives an air to him that I love. It also helps that he appears to be pretty hot. While he is pretty crazy at times, I think that is what makes him such a great character.
Right off the bat I knew Midnight and Winter were crazy. They might have thought they had everything thought out but they obviously didn't, hence their deaths.
Now don't hate me. But I kept drawing parallels with this story and "The Vampire Diaries" (the tv show obviously because I refuse to recognize the books as cannon." Like Gavriel and his brother were like Damon and Stefan and the girl was kinda like Katherine. As I was reading this book, I pictured Gavriel as Damon because of the craziness yet little bit of humanity he has. Is it just me... who sees the parallels?...
Back to the story, the chemistry and relationship between Tana and Gavriel was just so great. Tana comes to love this crazy guy even after she knows all the bad he has done because she realizes no one is perfect. When they first kissed against that wall, I found myself squealing with joy because their chemistry made me so happy. And later when he comforted her at Lucien's mansion and later when she is chained up, I really appreciated how love can cause a monster to be tamed.