Really liked this story, which I hadn't expected after reading the First Law Trilogy. Those three books were "okay", a bit "meh", and a lot "trying too hard to be big and bad and gritty".
This one is a lot better.
The story is a cliché: person gets betrayed by someone, left for dead, recovers and swears bloody vengeance. Oh and gets that vengeance, oh, how she does.
It is not only this plot that gives me the Tarantino-feel, it is the writing. Gritty politicking in the end. People betraying and killing everyone in the end.
There are two twists even I hadn't seen coming, which is saying a lot.

Now, here's the rub (still). You can call this "grimdark" all you like... but that doesn't make it so. Alright, it isn't sparkly fairies fluffing unicorn er, icecream, but still... dark? No.
Mentioning toilet-habbits and swearing a lot doesn't make something dark, nor grim. There is just one grim bit: the eye scene... you know but even that is just... mildly dark. Bridget Wood does a lot worse than this and isn't considered grimdark.
I like that it isn't sugar and spice, but please, this isn't near as dark as a lot of other writers I love to read, so cut it out with the grimdark mkay. Go read some [a:Steven Erikson|31232|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219169436p2/31232.jpg] if you want high end classy darkness. Or [a:Bridget Wood|95774|Bridget Wood|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] if you want real stomach turning. Or [a:Stephen Donaldson|7364771|Stephen Donaldson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] if you want angst and darkness and swearing, and a really unlikeable (yet likeable) main character. Or many others.

Then there is the narrator. The narrator is Michael Page, who also narrates The Lies of Locke Lamorra. And as it is a same style/setting book, I expected Locke to appear any moment ;-)
But the voice is too rich for this book. Waaaaaay to rich. It is a roley poley posh voice and totally unfitting the story. I would rather have someone more... gritty.
This voice distracts me, keeps making me notice it, breaking the story. That's bad. I had the same problem in the Locke Lamorra series, by the way.
Page is excellent for fairy tales and christmas carols and such, but please keep him away from (semi) grit. He is too theatrical for it.

Grimdark or no, I enjoyed this book. Monszcaro (however you write her name, that's the problem with audiobooks)