Reviews with content warning for War - Siege and Storm

Reviews tagging 'War'

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

109 reviews

lupinschocolate_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this book was so good and i didn’t expect that ending at all ??? & the whole battle scene at the end had me sobbing so much.

also ouch the stuff with mal and alina at the end was painful, like the rift between them growing and him not understanding her was so </3

Content Warnings

maryjames's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Content Warnings

klara__'s review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

clauglezzz_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It was better than the first one of rhe series. Loved nikolai, he brought comedic relief that was very much needed.

Content Warnings

maegnoche's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious 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

4.25

Siege and Storm started out really slow paced hence the medium pace of the book but after it picks up and you're hooked. I'm not in the mood to write a super long review but I the key highlights of this book are: character development, wasted enemies to lovers potential, and a really unlikable MC love interest who gets redeemed in the last book.

Content Warnings

cassgordon's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark slow-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

3.5

I got lost for interest in the middle a bit waiting for the inevitable but I loved the introduction of new characters. Watching Alina struggle with the dark within her light and newfound power kept me going through the whole book and I found that I gained new insight into characters.

Content Warnings

shaylee_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense slow-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? No

2.0

Ratings:

Plot:⭐⭐/5

Writing:⭐⭐⭐/5

Characters:⭐⭐⭐/5

Romance:⭐/5

Diversity:⭐⭐⭐/5

Overall:⭐⭐⭐ /5

Tropes: Friends to lovers

This book took me so long to get through! The reason for that was that this book was so SLOW! I was about 200 pages into this book and I felt like nothing had happened and I felt like I was still in the beginning of the book, not in the middle. I just felt like nothing was happening and this book could have been cut in half.

Another thing I disliked was Mal… just Mal. He got on my nerves so much in this book, to me he was a very manipulative, gaslighting person who made everything about himself and made Alina feel guilty for wanting to help people. He gaslighted Alina so much in this book! He made her feel like everything that was going wrong in their relationship was her fault and that she should change to make him happy and not be herself and it PISSED me off. Don't even get me started on the whole Zoya thing!!

Another thing I'm not feeling Alina and Mal's relationship, it feels so forced and like we are supposed to believe that they are deeply in love but we don't ever see that because they barely spent any time together. Honestly Alina seemed to be so in love with him and wanting to be with him so much but Mal didn't seem to feel the same, he gave me so much F-boy vibes… like he was only pretending to care about her so he could get into her pants. I'm just not convinced in their relationship.

Another thing is that The Darkling is supposed to be this monster but it's now really shown.. we are told that he is this terrible person but nothing he does seems to back it up. I'm not saying that he's not a terrible person because he is, I'm just saying that we are being told that he is this terrible person instead of being shown that he is.

One thing I loved was Nikolai! He was amazing! Carried this book in his back! I'm in love with him and he saved this book.

All together I enjoyed this book but it just wasn't as good as the first book and it was kinda a let down but I'm excited to finish the trilogy.

Content Warnings

mustnotblink's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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? No

4.0

While the first book of the trilogy set up the universe Siege and Storm upped the anti and took no prisoners. There is a lot of death, shifting alliances, and revealing of untruths between moments of hope.

If the first book was about Alina figuring out who she was then this volume was about her struggle to accept/follow through with her destiny. More players are added to the board and bring with with them their own complications as Alina tries to figure out how to save Ravka.

One of my favorite things is that

despite Nikolai entering in the picture it never falls into the girl caught between two love interest tropes. Alina is very clear with where her regard lies, even if she has to consider other options.

Content Warnings

readwithde's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I very rarely prefer a sequel to an initial book in a series, but I was constantly and delightfully surprised by Siege and Storm.

The characters felt even more grounded and real, if that is possible. I'm so used to reading fantasy novels (or watching fantasy) where the heroes constantly fight their flaws and think only of the big picture. It is refreshing to have Alina realize how much she wants power, how much she has obsessed over getting the amplifiers. I love that she is constantly overwhelmed and still full of grudges and emotion; it has been only a year (if that) since she discovered she was a Grisha, and she should be overwhelmed

by commanding her own troops and preparing for war.

Even the love triangle (square?) seems real and grounded in the characters:

Mal is the passive one, waiting for Alina to prove she wants him but refusing to communicate, while The Darkling imposes his own needs and wishes on her, and Nikolai plays the long game, constantly calculating actions and choosing when to risk vulnerability.

While a few of my guesses were correct, most of the last hundred pages were a complete and welcome surprise.

It was refreshing to see Prince Vasily try to match his younger brother's cleverness and fail miserably, losing his birthright by his own hubris -- it was nearly Shakespearean or ripped from a Greek tragedy. Likewise, with nearly half the book away from The Darkling, it was refreshing to see him in his full power, both in his manipulation of others and political scheming, but also his strategies and honed skill as the leader of an army. His ambush and coup were nearly perfect.

I am very intrigued by the Sun Cult led by the Apparat. While in the shadows for most of the book, they proved to be useful allies, not to be overlooked by the Crown or Alina. I was completely unprepared for Tolya and Tamar to be part of it, but I'm excited to see where this will lead. If anything, it's a safe place for Alina to recover from her fight.

And, oh my gosh, what a crazy standoff we had between Alina and The Darkling. They have such a creepy codependent relationship, like a dark fantasy Catherine and Heathcliff, "whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same," that is both enthralling and horrifying. Alina is clever though, and she found a weakness (just as Nikolai taught her, every person has a price), and all the talk of Saints and martyrdom definitely got into her head. Twice she has left him for dead and escaped with Mal, and twice she has been forced into hiding as he survived. I guess third times a charm.

Content Warnings

elysh_kaye's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional tense fast-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

3.75

Faced pace and enjoyable, I definitely think the writing improves from the first book.

Content Warnings

More...