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kaiulanilee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
3.0
Book two down!
On the whole I enjoyed this so much more than the first. The characters were much more enjoyable and filled out, the writing was much less up and down for me, and it kept me much more engaged throughout. Nikolai, Tolya and Tamar have to be some of my favorite characters in the series and I enjoyed every moment with them. This book really solidified itself as a fantasy novel/part of a series that has its own unique charms whereas I felt with the first book it was a bit too trope heavy and felt too similar to other fantasy novels I’ve read. I really like how much more Leigh Bardugo addressed the class issues and politics of the world as opposed to simply touching on it. The novella at the end that focuses on Genya completely tore my heart out and I felt it was context for her character that was really needed, despite the fact that I wished it hadn’t come in the form of a simple novella at the end.
My main issues with the book lay mostly with moments where writing simply felt too melodramatic or where things that happened felt quite rushed (one being Alina’s extremely quick transition to being confident as a leader). On the whole though, the writing improved a TON. I do find myself getting quite bored with the consistent love triangle/jealousy trope going on and while I understand that people enjoy that type of story, it feels a little bit unnecessary when I personally would prefer more having to do with the politics, adventure and other characters. That being said, I thought that the dynamics of the relationships were much more enjoyable to read in this book so it’s not a huge issue.
My only other critique is a small one but has to do with being identified by his “dark skin”. I’m wondering whether he’s quite literally the only POC in this series (or in this part of the world maybe?) to the point where he would be identified by that or if he simply has the darkest skin there. I feel like Leigh Bardugo simply threw that in as a way to make it canon that there were in fact POC in the books but instead it just feels like he’s the only one? Or the only major enough to have a descriptor of his looks used. I think this was more of a carelessness error but regardless it caught my attention and thought it should be mentioned. I’m hoping this gets better in later books and I know the Netflix cast is completely different from how people are described in the books, for the most part, so i feel better about that but still, I wish more thought had went into this. Most of the characters who were described physically in any way had some mention of blonde hair or blue eyes or something along those lines that is usually thought of to be a white feature so it felt a little jarring to hear someone being described as “dark-skinned” when it seems he was the only one (so far) to have any mention that would point to him not being white. I hope the future books do better in this regard.
On the whole I enjoyed this so much more than the first. The characters were much more enjoyable and filled out, the writing was much less up and down for me, and it kept me much more engaged throughout. Nikolai, Tolya and Tamar have to be some of my favorite characters in the series and I enjoyed every moment with them. This book really solidified itself as a fantasy novel/part of a series that has its own unique charms whereas I felt with the first book it was a bit too trope heavy and felt too similar to other fantasy novels I’ve read. I really like how much more Leigh Bardugo addressed the class issues and politics of the world as opposed to simply touching on it. The novella at the end that focuses on Genya completely tore my heart out and I felt it was context for her character that was really needed, despite the fact that I wished it hadn’t come in the form of a simple novella at the end.
My main issues with the book lay mostly with moments where writing simply felt too melodramatic or where things that happened felt quite rushed (one being Alina’s extremely quick transition to being confident as a leader). On the whole though, the writing improved a TON. I do find myself getting quite bored with the consistent love triangle/jealousy trope going on and while I understand that people enjoy that type of story, it feels a little bit unnecessary when I personally would prefer more having to do with the politics, adventure and other characters. That being said, I thought that the dynamics of the relationships were much more enjoyable to read in this book so it’s not a huge issue.
My only other critique is a small one but has to do with being identified by his “dark skin”. I’m wondering whether he’s quite literally the only POC in this series (or in this part of the world maybe?) to the point where he would be identified by that or if he simply has the darkest skin there. I feel like Leigh Bardugo simply threw that in as a way to make it canon that there were in fact POC in the books but instead it just feels like he’s the only one? Or the only major enough to have a descriptor of his looks used. I think this was more of a carelessness error but regardless it caught my attention and thought it should be mentioned. I’m hoping this gets better in later books and I know the Netflix cast is completely different from how people are described in the books, for the most part, so i feel better about that but still, I wish more thought had went into this. Most of the characters who were described physically in any way had some mention of blonde hair or blue eyes or something along those lines that is usually thought of to be a white feature so it felt a little jarring to hear someone being described as “dark-skinned” when it seems he was the only one (so far) to have any mention that would point to him not being white. I hope the future books do better in this regard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Fatphobia, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt
ceilidhwilliams's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, and Torture
sushmita's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
TW: sexual harassment, assault, abuse & pedophilia
It’s beyond me why anyone would ‘stan’ The Darkling. After reading how he treated Genya, Baghra & Alina, I was fuming with anger. Where is the complexity that everybody speaks of? because I don’t see it. There is nothing complex about a 500 year old pedophile who abuses & enslaves people, who shape-shifts into a teenage boy so he could touch & kiss his vulnerable teenage girlfriend mid-sleep.
The Darkling is not a good villain. He is just your regular old bad guy who does atrocious & unspeakable things in his hunger for power. Good villains, on the either hand, make you want to side with them despite their gray sense of morality. The Darkling’s morality wasn’t gray. It was pitch dark & swirling in shadows with the volcra & the nichevo’ya.
According to me, Mal’s human insecurities about being surrounded by powerful royals & even more powerful Grisha who belittled, spoke down to & spread rumours about him, was more understandable and complex than The Darkling’s entire arch [Being othered as a child, is no excuse to feel emboldened enough to abuse & enslave people]
In this series I find myself to not be that big a fan of The Darkling, Alina or Mal. My heart is more swept by Genya, Nikolai, Zoya, Tolya & Tamar. Their characters seem more rich & interesting for me to read & enjoy.
Overall, this book is a three star book for me as even though it took me on an emotional roller coaster ride, it managed to leave me underwhelmed. I don’t see myself ever re-reading this series or recommending it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
megplant's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
rorikae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
'Siege and Storm' by Leigh Bardugo is a fantastic sequel to 'Shadow and Bone' as it builds upon the characters and world first presented in the first installment. There is very little I can discuss around the plot without getting into spoilers but I will say that I think it did an excellent job on showing us new sides to familiar characters and exploring more about Ravka and its history.
In this book, I particularly like how Bardugo discusses religion and what it means to be considered a living saint. From where this book ends, I believe we will be seeing even more of this in the final book. One of the things I appreciate about this trilogy is that Bardugo allows Alina to be a messy, flawed character. The decisions she makes are hard to agree with at times but her complexity also makes her more believable. This is true of the characters she is surrounded by as well.
We see a lot of tragedy in this book and it is very hard to witness. I fear there will be even more to come in the next installment though I also have hope. I trust Bardugo and her storytelling to deliver a satisfying ending. I cannot wait to pick up 'Ruin and Rising.'
In this book, I particularly like how Bardugo discusses religion and what it means to be considered a living saint. From where this book ends, I believe we will be seeing even more of this in the final book. One of the things I appreciate about this trilogy is that Bardugo allows Alina to be a messy, flawed character. The decisions she makes are hard to agree with at times but her complexity also makes her more believable. This is true of the characters she is surrounded by as well.
We see a lot of tragedy in this book and it is very hard to witness. I fear there will be even more to come in the next installment though I also have hope. I trust Bardugo and her storytelling to deliver a satisfying ending. I cannot wait to pick up 'Ruin and Rising.'
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
gothicmoon's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I'm glad Bardugo chose to continue this world in duologies.
Like in many other trilogies, the middle book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy suffers a curse: it serves only to connect the first and third. Nothing happens in this book. It's so boring.
I thought that putting Mal and Alina together at the end of the first book rather than at the last possible minute to culminate both plot and romance was revolutionary - except they only got together because the worst was yet to come. Their relationship flounders and nearly drowns several times in this book, all because either Mal or Alina simply refused to throw in a freaking lifebuoy. Most frustratingly though, a lot times Alina was willing to acquiesce just to go back to their happy times in the beginning of the book - but at the cost of her own health. Mal takes a very unlikeable turn in this novel. Like most first-person fantasy, this series could benefit significantly from varying POVs.
Nikolai is great, but I hope his presence doesn't interfere with killing the tsarist regiment, if that's still happening.
Like in many other trilogies, the middle book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy suffers a curse: it serves only to connect the first and third. Nothing happens in this book. It's so boring.
I thought that putting Mal and Alina together at the end of the first book rather than at the last possible minute to culminate both plot and romance was revolutionary - except they only got together because the worst was yet to come. Their relationship flounders and nearly drowns several times in this book, all because either Mal or Alina simply refused to throw in a freaking lifebuoy. Most frustratingly though, a lot times Alina was willing to acquiesce just to go back to their happy times in the beginning of the book - but at the cost of her own health. Mal takes a very unlikeable turn in this novel. Like most first-person fantasy, this series could benefit significantly from varying POVs.
Nikolai is great, but I hope his presence doesn't interfere with killing the tsarist regiment, if that's still happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
jadeisabelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Siege and Storm picks up right where Shadow and Bone left off, and oof Alina is having a rough time this whole book. I just want Alina and Mal to be happy but Alina's Grisha powers and her need to have all the amplifiers to take down the Darkling are getting in the way. Mal is just trying to be there for her and she never asks what he wants :(.
We finally meet Nikolai in this book and wowie I see the hype for this guy, he definitely made this book more enjoyable for me overall, I mean he's cute, he's funny and he has great military strategies what's not to love?
After I finish the next book I think I'll read the Nikolai series, wowie he's honestly the best character in this series.
The plot was a lot of moving from place to place and expanding the world which I found was kind of slow. Despite that, I finished this book in 5 days, and I find that this is a fantasy series that's easy to get into and easy to understand. Also literally every male that Alina has interacted with has tried to use her in some way, I don't like it.
As I've already finished Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, I enjoyed the cameo of Jesper that popped up, and I can better appreciate Sturmhond's appearance in Crooked Kingdom (if you know you know) now that I know more about him.
My girl Genya deserves so much better than what she got in this book, despite her choices I still want her to be happy and feel loved :(.
Overall I'd give Siege and Storm 3 stars again, I love Nikolai, didn't love Malina being annoying and the Darkling being a creep again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood and Violence
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