Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this because Sarah J. Maas reviewed it so well. I now know to never buy a book based off of her recommendation alone. After I read her review, I gave it a try and forced myself to finish it, thinking it must get good at some point. No. It did not. It was awful. I read a lot of books, especially in this genre. It was staggeringly riddled plot holes and unanswered questions, a magic system that was under-explained and underwhelming, but the worst thing about it was the lack of character development. You learn almost nothing about anyone but the two main characters, and even those two were so lacking in personality that I found myself uncaring of their success or their romance. I hate to be so negative, especially of a new author, but I can't believe this was published in its current form. It isn't a bad overall storyline other than there being no resolution whatsoever in the end (even as an intended series, it was lacking in any conclusion that mattered), but it could have been so much better. It felt like she made a fan fiction version of Leigh Bardugo's Nina and Matthias storyline from "Six of Crows" and added unoriginal elements from other YA authors in this genre, including Sarah J. Maas (i.e. a witch named Manon, an irreverent princess who is full of herself, the main character is a thief, a love develops between two opposite people who are forced together- or even more cliche- one is tasked with killing the other, etc.). Even the romance wasn't exciting. It was one sex scene, and the lead up to it didn't offer much anticipation. From Maas's review, I was at least expecting some great sex scenes. Nope. Everything just felt so random. Nothing tied together in the way you expect. Oh, "I had sex with a prostitute once." Ok... I like to eat chocolate. What's the point? There was no point. The main character was trying to say she wasn't an innocent person, but her innocence didn't matter at all to the storyline. It didn't develop her character. Now, if she (the main character) told an interesting story about said sex with a prostitute that showed her character or humor or morals, or literally anything else, it would have been relevant to the plot. It was completely random. And the cursing. Let's just preface this with me saying I use the F word liberally. I have no issues with cursing or the F word in general, but it's not the only curse word I use. And I use it in more creative ways than just saying it nearly every time I open my mouth or speak passionately about anything. It was like the author thought the more she used that word, the more personality it gave her character. It didn't work. I think I'm going to ask for my money back. I bought both the Audible and the Kindle version (I do with nearly all the books I buy), and this is the first time I've considered returning either. Please. If you don't read the synopsis and think, "OMG, this book sounds amazing, and I can't live without reading it!" then don't waste your money on it. Pretend SJM didn't review it. I (generously) gave it two stars because she's a debut author, and it's a tough industry.