Scan barcode
poppyisabella's review against another edition
4.0
this is the best book in the trilogy! the found family trope gets me every timeee. zoya’s note to alina at the end
sophiesmith's review against another edition
3.0
I was semi satisfied with the ending, it could have gone one of two ways and the ending was never going to please every reader. Personally I would have preferred an alternate end with the fates of Alina, Mal and the Darkling being very different to how they were.
During the trilogy it was obvious that the Darkling and Alina were linked so I imagined the ending to them being either both alive or both dead. They’re literally yin and yang so I figured that they couldn’t exist without each other, or at least not happily exist.
My ideal ending would have been redemption for the Darkling and for Alina to be his balance (as that concept was referred to many times across the three books). I wasn’t sure how or why Alina lost her abilities but if it was possible for her to lose hers, surely the Darkling could have lost his too which would have been the start of his journey of redemption.
I never had an interest with Mal and his character, I never really took to him and I certainly wasn’t a fan of his relationship with Alina, I felt that way during the first two books and perhaps thought this one would change my mind, but my opinion still stands and I’m not a fan of their partnership.
My only other issues were the same as my issues in the other books, mainly confusing terminology and not really having a picture or grasp of the world or its history. This is a minor detail however and when this book comes to life on Netflix, I’m sure it will all make sense :))
During the trilogy it was obvious that the Darkling and Alina were linked so I imagined the ending to them being either both alive or both dead. They’re literally yin and yang so I figured that they couldn’t exist without each other, or at least not happily exist.
My ideal ending would have been redemption for the Darkling and for Alina to be his balance (as that concept was referred to many times across the three books). I wasn’t sure how or why Alina lost her abilities but if it was possible for her to lose hers, surely the Darkling could have lost his too which would have been the start of his journey of redemption.
I never had an interest with Mal and his character, I never really took to him and I certainly wasn’t a fan of his relationship with Alina, I felt that way during the first two books and perhaps thought this one would change my mind, but my opinion still stands and I’m not a fan of their partnership.
My only other issues were the same as my issues in the other books, mainly confusing terminology and not really having a picture or grasp of the world or its history. This is a minor detail however and when this book comes to life on Netflix, I’m sure it will all make sense :))
vgama92's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alliej's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As someone who read these books nearly a decade late, and someone who came to Leigh Bardugo’s YA series after having read the Alex Stern series….Ruin and Rising wasn’t too bad.
All in all, although I had my issues with it, I enjoyed my time with it. I do feel that some components of the plot were somewhat wildly thrown in to remove certain players from many situations, most obviouslyNikolai and his monster transformation. In the first two books, I was able to somewhat appreciate more of the chemistry between Alina and Mal. The third book was a bit shakier, but on consideration, that may well have been intentional.
I had fun with this book, overall. It’s not perfect by any means, but what mid 2010s YA trilogy is? I’ve heard the Six of Crows duology is the best, so I’m definitely looking forward to that.
All in all, although I had my issues with it, I enjoyed my time with it. I do feel that some components of the plot were somewhat wildly thrown in to remove certain players from many situations, most obviously
I had fun with this book, overall. It’s not perfect by any means, but what mid 2010s YA trilogy is? I’ve heard the Six of Crows duology is the best, so I’m definitely looking forward to that.
ramonacecillia's review against another edition
4.0
3.7 stars for this story ⭐️
not as good as the first one, but i liked it more than the second! it was pretty much all action and super easy to consume. the romance had a solid direction, and i'm alright with how it all played out. the characters grew on me even more, and overall im sad to see this series come to an end.
does the whole series kind of feel like spin-off fan fix of six of crows? maybe, but high quality fan fix for sure.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON!!!
as the finale, this one had a lot of loose ends to tie together, and it did an okay job of this. reading soc first, i knew that the fold was destroyed. yet somehow, i still didn't see darkling actually dying. when it did happen it felt a bit anticlimactic in terms of the plot, but i found myself really mourning aleksander.
personally, i absolutely hated mal being the third amplifier. it just felt a little cheesy and forced. mal grew on me a TON this book and i fully support him and alina, but i would have loved him even without his power.
i did appreciate the happiness alina found at the end. again, i know from soc that she was martyred, so i was really holding out hope it was a "faked-her-death" situation. good for her! even tho she annoyed me at times she deserved that.
lastly, i have to take a moment to appreciate our favorite blond and the kind of ravka, nikolai. he just came alive in this book and i absolutely fell in love. so sarcastic yet so devoted, and the perfect balance to alina's gloom. i also LOVED the idea of possessed nikolai, and i really wish we saw more of that storyline. overall, i'm so exited to get more of this man in king of scars, and continue to explore the grishaverse!
not as good as the first one, but i liked it more than the second! it was pretty much all action and super easy to consume. the romance had a solid direction, and i'm alright with how it all played out. the characters grew on me even more, and overall im sad to see this series come to an end.
does the whole series kind of feel like spin-off fan fix of six of crows? maybe, but high quality fan fix for sure.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON!!!
as the finale, this one had a lot of loose ends to tie together, and it did an okay job of this. reading soc first, i knew that the fold was destroyed. yet somehow, i still didn't see darkling actually dying. when it did happen it felt a bit anticlimactic in terms of the plot, but i found myself really mourning aleksander.
personally, i absolutely hated mal being the third amplifier. it just felt a little cheesy and forced. mal grew on me a TON this book and i fully support him and alina, but i would have loved him even without his power.
i did appreciate the happiness alina found at the end. again, i know from soc that she was martyred, so i was really holding out hope it was a "faked-her-death" situation. good for her! even tho she annoyed me at times she deserved that.
lastly, i have to take a moment to appreciate our favorite blond and the kind of ravka, nikolai. he just came alive in this book and i absolutely fell in love. so sarcastic yet so devoted, and the perfect balance to alina's gloom. i also LOVED the idea of possessed nikolai, and i really wish we saw more of that storyline. overall, i'm so exited to get more of this man in king of scars, and continue to explore the grishaverse!
anabelecanread's review against another edition
2.0
okay this was pretty terrible but it was so terrible that it made me want to keep reading. I genuinely think this story could've ended in book 1 or 2.
kirathebook's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
danyabichsel's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
callistag1's review against another edition
3.0
A good ending to a great trilogy. But... I will say my (probably) controversial, Alina had more chemistry with just about every other character than Mal. They spent more time thinking and talking about how they can't be together than showing reasons they cared for each other and wanted to be together. So maybe that's why I feel that way. I don't know. Still loved the book. Leigh Bardugo has yet to disappoint me, and I'm surprised I'm just discovering her works this year, but to be fair, when I was younger I was reading books outside of this vibe.