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phoebediane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
noorandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
"I am become a blade" woah there buddy, spoilers!
Nikolai, Genya, Harshaw (and Oncat), and Zoya solo your fav!!! ESPECIALLY NIKOLAI I would have laid down my life for him. Can I? Do I have the option? Is there a form I have to fill out?
Honestly, I ended up liking Alina at the end so!
I hope she does have a good nest, I did become attached to her at the end.
Goodbye Sankta Alina it was fun martyring with you
Nikolai, Genya, Harshaw (and Oncat), and Zoya solo your fav!!! ESPECIALLY NIKOLAI I would have laid down my life for him. Can I? Do I have the option? Is there a form I have to fill out?
“Thanks for the rescue."S&B2 still is my favorite of the trilogy but some of the twists that I foolishly did not predict shocked me and I must give due credit.
"Everyone needs a hobby."
"I thought yours was preening."
"Two hobbies."
Honestly, I ended up liking Alina at the end so!
Spoiler
I feel like the 'normal route' fits her and allows her to heal but I didn't want it to be complete isolation from her old life. More like an easing into it. Nope, they stripped the bird of her wings and told her to make a nest.I hope she does have a good nest, I did become attached to her at the end.
He watches her the way Harshaw watches fire. Like he’ll never have enough of her. Like he’s trying to capture what he can before she’s gone.Even the Darkling I felt some remorse for. But maybe that's just the graphic novel talking.
"Aleksander," I whispered. A boy's name, given up. Almost forgotten.I feel kind of sad letting go of this trilogy. But I'm glad I don't have to deal with that love. Whatever that was anymore, it was driving me insane.
Goodbye Sankta Alina it was fun martyring with you
caitriona_w's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
madeliney's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
this is the best book in the trilogy, by far. it kept my interest for the entire day today, which says a lot. Leigh's writing clearly improved, as did her characterization of some of these characters. there are still some messy plot points, but i can see the author was trying her best to wrap things up in a way that made sense.
the Darkling takes quite a backseat in this book, and i could be convinced that more of his presence could be warranted to really drive home the central tension of this story; he is an AMAZING antagonist, and i feel like there was more room for him here (and i think the author knew that too, hence the prequel graphic novel that came out about him). on the other hand, i liked the direction that the author took Mal in much more than in the second book. i like the band of characters here, and i am excited to read King of Scars and stay with Nikolai for longer -- he truly is one of the best characters out of this trilogy. one lingering complaint i have about this story as a whole though, is how helpless Alina seems to be the majority of the time. i wanted to see her kick some more ass and not need to be saved by Mal and Friends as much. i think that the author definitely improves on characterization and giving everyone a chance to be strong and to shine in her future writing endeavors.
i am surprised to find that i actually liked the ending, but i am not as surprised at it as some other reviews i read -- it is obvious that the love triangle is not really a love triangle, fellow readers. there is literally no chemistry between Alina and Nikolai, and this is even remarked upon in the narrative! Mal was always going to be the end game, and i think it was pulled off in a way that made sense and felt right. additionally, i did not see the conclusion with the amplifiers coming. i was pleasantly surprised at that twist.
the ending withMal and Alina taking over the orphanage , and all of the other little epilogue pieces we learn, felt like a good ending for them. i was so glad the author salvaged this one after the disappointment that was Siege and Storm, even if it wasn't a complete home-run, i think this was a successful ending to this particular branch of the Grishaverse.
the Darkling takes quite a backseat in this book, and i could be convinced that more of his presence could be warranted to really drive home the central tension of this story; he is an AMAZING antagonist, and i feel like there was more room for him here (and i think the author knew that too, hence the prequel graphic novel that came out about him). on the other hand, i liked the direction that the author took Mal in much more than in the second book. i like the band of characters here, and i am excited to read King of Scars and stay with Nikolai for longer -- he truly is one of the best characters out of this trilogy. one lingering complaint i have about this story as a whole though, is how helpless Alina seems to be the majority of the time. i wanted to see her kick some more ass and not need to be saved by Mal and Friends as much. i think that the author definitely improves on characterization and giving everyone a chance to be strong and to shine in her future writing endeavors.
i am surprised to find that i actually liked the ending, but i am not as surprised at it as some other reviews i read -- it is obvious that the love triangle is not really a love triangle, fellow readers. there is literally no chemistry between Alina and Nikolai, and this is even remarked upon in the narrative! Mal was always going to be the end game, and i think it was pulled off in a way that made sense and felt right. additionally, i did not see the conclusion with the amplifiers coming. i was pleasantly surprised at that twist.
the ending with
brigidkb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Didn’t love the saint theme, the twist at the end ruined me but the author made up for it
rlulwa's review against another edition
5.0
words cant comprehend how much i love this book
that bittersweet feeling you get after finishing a series because the ending is so satisfying but you’ll miss it
that bittersweet feeling you get after finishing a series because the ending is so satisfying but you’ll miss it
silvia_gio's review against another edition
4.0
... and then we have come to the end. 4 stars for the third and final chapter of Shadow and Bone trilogy.
In this one Alina becomes had a fantastic amount of development in the previous books, expecially in Diege and Storm, when she discovered her powers and started to crave for more. The theme of greed is well developed: Alina's desire for more power could be Ravka's salvation and condemnation at the same time. It could precipitate our protagonist towards a dark and deep well far worse than the one in which her antagonist has already fallen. As in the best chapters of Star Wars, here too we have a protagonist inevitably attracted to the dark side (bright, actually) of the Force and throughout the book, up to the last, frenetic final passages, the author will leave us with the doubt: Alina will resist the call of power, or will she fall victim of it like the Darkling, before her?
alongside the central theme of the desire for power / desire to resist Alina's lust for power, in the third book we see some interesting (and others less so) developments.
The villain's backstory. Normally, when authors give a backstory to a villain, it can go one of two way: sympathy or continued hatred. Uuuhh...What can I say? a great wasted opportunity. I still don't understood completely the Darkling, his past and his motives. I understand Baghra's past, motives and actions, but not the Darkling's. Sorry, my fault.
The love triangle. In Siege and Storm, Nikolai came into his own (even if honestly I found Nikolai’s humor and bravado irritating sometimes). I seriously had no idea which way the romance was going to go. I’ve always shipped Alina with Mal, that’s, like, how it’s supposed to be. The Darkling and Alina would have made a power couple, but in the end, it would have been a choice either too obvious or too meaningless.
I didn't enjoyed very much the team-dynamic. Everything barely moved along, interlaced with a few dramatic scenes, before reaching a very rushed ending.
With Ruin and Rising, Bardugo managed to wrap up her gripping trilogy in an unexpected way. There’s no doubt that this was a bittersweet ending. In many ways, I don’t think Bardugo could have created a better ending, as this is the one that everyone – both fans and characters – deserved.
I’ve read some reviews that slate the fact that Alina lost her immense powers in the final battle, and while I could be inclined to agree, I think it’s quite symbolic for her journey. Alina’s entire story seems to go full circle, starting and ending on the Fold, and I sort of like how she and Mal returned to the orphanage where they met, both changed by their experiences, but still the same Boy and Girl as before.
Summing up this third chapter I was very satisfied and undoubtedly deserves its 4 stars. Recommended! ;)
In this one Alina becomes had a fantastic amount of development in the previous books, expecially in Diege and Storm, when she discovered her powers and started to crave for more. The theme of greed is well developed: Alina's desire for more power could be Ravka's salvation and condemnation at the same time. It could precipitate our protagonist towards a dark and deep well far worse than the one in which her antagonist has already fallen. As in the best chapters of Star Wars, here too we have a protagonist inevitably attracted to the dark side (bright, actually) of the Force and throughout the book, up to the last, frenetic final passages, the author will leave us with the doubt: Alina will resist the call of power, or will she fall victim of it like the Darkling, before her?
alongside the central theme of the desire for power / desire to resist Alina's lust for power, in the third book we see some interesting (and others less so) developments.
The villain's backstory. Normally, when authors give a backstory to a villain, it can go one of two way: sympathy or continued hatred. Uuuhh...What can I say? a great wasted opportunity. I still don't understood completely the Darkling, his past and his motives. I understand Baghra's past, motives and actions, but not the Darkling's. Sorry, my fault.
The love triangle. In Siege and Storm, Nikolai came into his own (even if honestly I found Nikolai’s humor and bravado irritating sometimes). I seriously had no idea which way the romance was going to go. I’ve always shipped Alina with Mal, that’s, like, how it’s supposed to be. The Darkling and Alina would have made a power couple, but in the end, it would have been a choice either too obvious or too meaningless.
I didn't enjoyed very much the team-dynamic. Everything barely moved along, interlaced with a few dramatic scenes, before reaching a very rushed ending.
With Ruin and Rising, Bardugo managed to wrap up her gripping trilogy in an unexpected way. There’s no doubt that this was a bittersweet ending. In many ways, I don’t think Bardugo could have created a better ending, as this is the one that everyone – both fans and characters – deserved.
I’ve read some reviews that slate the fact that Alina lost her immense powers in the final battle, and while I could be inclined to agree, I think it’s quite symbolic for her journey. Alina’s entire story seems to go full circle, starting and ending on the Fold, and I sort of like how she and Mal returned to the orphanage where they met, both changed by their experiences, but still the same Boy and Girl as before.
Summing up this third chapter I was very satisfied and undoubtedly deserves its 4 stars. Recommended! ;)
daumari's review against another edition
4.0
Queer rep if you squint, but tagging it anyway... 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I liked this more than the previous two entries, perhaps because it felt like there were more dire geopolitical stakes at hand than oooh magic school/oh no which boy am I most attracted to (though the latter is very much still present). It's funny- in my review of [b:Siege and Storm|14061955|Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362166252l/14061955._SX50_.jpg|19699752] I mentioned that the ending felt abrupt, and that the cave chapters from the beginning of this one maybe should've been in here, only to find in the acknowledgements that Leigh Bardugo originally had a ton of other mid-book actions from this one take place at the end of S&S which would've been Too Much.
I do like the twist about the nature of the third amplifier, as well as. Not super thrilled with ultimate boy choice but can't say it wasn't broadcasted...
But mostly, I'm excited for what I'm told is HEIST TIME in [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651710803l/23437156._SY75_.jpg|42077459], so then I can finally start the Netflix series (I generally prefer to read the source before adaptation, and I've heard that they pull Ketterdam elements into the show).
I do like the twist about the nature of the third amplifier, as well as
Spoiler
not having a teenager figuring out how to rule the world in the aftermath because at least Nikolai's had training/leadership experience.But mostly, I'm excited for what I'm told is HEIST TIME in [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651710803l/23437156._SY75_.jpg|42077459], so then I can finally start the Netflix series (I generally prefer to read the source before adaptation, and I've heard that they pull Ketterdam elements into the show).
zoeaiko's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75