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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OK, so this one was definitely better than book two, but still left me wanting on several counts.
Firstly, let's talk about characters. Somewhere in the three months spanning between the end of book two and the beginning of book three, it seemed like both Alina and Mal had received personality transplants. We went from seeing next to no character development over the first two books of the trilogy, to COMPLETELY different characters. If you had slapped different names on them, I would have wholly believed you if you'd told me they were different people. For Alina, I suppose this was more forgiveable - after what happened in the climax of book two, I could understand altered behaviour. But Mal? No. You *could* blame the effects of the battle, hypothetically, but keep in mind that the penultimate scenes of the second book were not Mal's first exposure to warfare; and the first battle/s didn't seem to effect him to even a slight semblance of the same degree. Not that it was a bad changed - for the first time in the series, I didn't actually want to throw tomatoes (or knives) at every mention of his name.
I've put off reading this one for... pretty much two years since my finishing of Siege and Storm. It's likely that there is some degree of human error, therefore, in my judgement of character progression - after all, I can barely remember the intricacies of S&S. But I remember enough to know that this characterisation switch up is more than just my perception. Though, I'll repeat, not unwelcome.
Perhaps Bardugo's skills in writing and wordsmithery got stronger as the series developed? Or she maybe felt more inspired?
That said, there's still room for improvement when it comes to Bardugo's characterisation. The side characters, especially, were (for the most part) extremely flat and archetypal. They didn't feel human - just byproducts of an author who needed more diversity, subplots, or attempts at humour. And so it was hard to feel anything for any of them.
Speaking of poor attempts at humour, let's talk about Harshaw. He's the comic relief. I just wish his character was more fleshed out. That way we, the readers, would feel more when... yeah. There was a lot of missed potential. But I do love a good guy/adopted pet dynamic.
And talking about pets, Oncat, man... As a ginger mog owner, I was panicking the entire time.
Which brings me onto the topic of grief.
Bardugo just... doesn't deliver. The pacing was off, and again, there was just so much missed opportunity. It was very much, X died, and everyone was like: 'Oh no! Anyway...'. Rinse and repeat. In my opinion, it would be so much more effective if Bardugo implemented a stronger sense of grief - think Katniss with Buttercup after Prim's death in The Hunger Games. Raw, human emotion is hard to write, but I think if the character grief element had been better executed, Ruin and Rising could have been so much better. It had the potential to be a gut-punch of a book, but alas.
Another thing I feel the need to mention is the Darkling situation. I just feel (and have felt through the entire series) that there was SO much missed opportunity where he was concerned. Such good bones for an awesome character, but the muscle wasn't there.
Missed opportunities and potential aside, it was a decent read. Enjoyable enough and definitely better than expected, following S&S. I found the plot to be mediocre but pleasing enough, and Ruin and Rising proved to be a solid end to a somewhat rocky trilogy.
EDIT TO ADD: Yeah, I forgot about the love triangle part when writing this. Not that there was much of one. It was pretty weak and the romance definitely wasn't a strength in Ruin and Rising. If anything, it would have been better without the continuation of the love triangle - something I never thought I'd say.
Firstly, let's talk about characters. Somewhere in the three months spanning between the end of book two and the beginning of book three, it seemed like both Alina and Mal had received personality transplants. We went from seeing next to no character development over the first two books of the trilogy, to COMPLETELY different characters. If you had slapped different names on them, I would have wholly believed you if you'd told me they were different people. For Alina, I suppose this was more forgiveable - after what happened in the climax of book two, I could understand altered behaviour. But Mal? No. You *could* blame the effects of the battle, hypothetically, but keep in mind that the penultimate scenes of the second book were not Mal's first exposure to warfare; and the first battle/s didn't seem to effect him to even a slight semblance of the same degree. Not that it was a bad changed - for the first time in the series, I didn't actually want to throw tomatoes (or knives) at every mention of his name.
I've put off reading this one for... pretty much two years since my finishing of Siege and Storm. It's likely that there is some degree of human error, therefore, in my judgement of character progression - after all, I can barely remember the intricacies of S&S. But I remember enough to know that this characterisation switch up is more than just my perception. Though, I'll repeat, not unwelcome.
Perhaps Bardugo's skills in writing and wordsmithery got stronger as the series developed? Or she maybe felt more inspired?
That said, there's still room for improvement when it comes to Bardugo's characterisation. The side characters, especially, were (for the most part) extremely flat and archetypal. They didn't feel human - just byproducts of an author who needed more diversity, subplots, or attempts at humour. And so it was hard to feel anything for any of them.
Speaking of poor attempts at humour, let's talk about Harshaw. He's the comic relief. I just wish his character was more fleshed out. That way we, the readers, would feel more when... yeah. There was a lot of missed potential. But I do love a good guy/adopted pet dynamic.
And talking about pets, Oncat, man... As a ginger mog owner, I was panicking the entire time.
Which brings me onto the topic of grief.
Bardugo just... doesn't deliver. The pacing was off, and again, there was just so much missed opportunity. It was very much, X died, and everyone was like: 'Oh no! Anyway...'. Rinse and repeat. In my opinion, it would be so much more effective if Bardugo implemented a stronger sense of grief - think Katniss with Buttercup after Prim's death in The Hunger Games. Raw, human emotion is hard to write, but I think if the character grief element had been better executed, Ruin and Rising could have been so much better. It had the potential to be a gut-punch of a book, but alas.
Another thing I feel the need to mention is the Darkling situation. I just feel (and have felt through the entire series) that there was SO much missed opportunity where he was concerned. Such good bones for an awesome character, but the muscle wasn't there.
Missed opportunities and potential aside, it was a decent read. Enjoyable enough and definitely better than expected, following S&S. I found the plot to be mediocre but pleasing enough, and Ruin and Rising proved to be a solid end to a somewhat rocky trilogy.
EDIT TO ADD: Yeah, I forgot about the love triangle part when writing this. Not that there was much of one. It was pretty weak and the romance definitely wasn't a strength in Ruin and Rising. If anything, it would have been better without the continuation of the love triangle - something I never thought I'd say.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
You know a series ended brilliantly when it makes you want to rush back to the first book and reread it with this new enlightened perspective! This book kept me on edge through the revelations, heart-stopping events, and both epic and emotional scenes! By the end, I was just so very happy with the reading experience!
The book started at such an odd place, with Alina, Mal, and the Grisha survivors, in an underground cave where everyone there practically worshipped Alina... And while that part was slow (and again, weird), the story really kicked off after they got out. And of course, things got a lot more exciting once Nikolai appeared.
The legend and story of Morozova and his amplifiers is explored and explained here -- and it's worth the wait of the past three books! I was able to guess a few things but I was still happy with the answers we got! The best part of the finale is that it makes me want to review the series as a whole and not just this last book. It's easy to believe the author had everything meticulously planned from the start, and the story never wavered from that.
The characters were fantastic in this book!
After reading the second book, I hoped Mal and Alina would show more maturity and self assuredness, and I was happy that both showed impressive changes in this book. Especially Mal.
I really like how he led the team and was patient and strong for Alina's sake. So different from the Mal in the previous book - but it looks like he got all hiswhining frustration out of his system already.
Still, I feel like he took the selfless hero role a bit too seriously that at one point or two, it felt a bit too dramatic. The "I am become a blade" tattoo he got made me roll my eyes a bit. It was like the poor guy was trying to so hard to find purpose. But it's a good thing he got it, I guess.
Alina... I have to be honest she is not my favorite YA or fantasy heroine. She goes through what a lot of other main characters in similar shoes do, but I found it so hard to connect with her. In this book, it's like with no preamble or thought process to explain why and how, she's convinced she has to be queen. And it's like everyone else expects it too.
I understand how her power and reputation makes her the logical choice to help Nikolai unite the Grisha with the first army... But the thing is I never felt her inner conviction or any explanation as to why she suddenly wants to be a leader -- and royalty at that. It's like she is always what she's told she has to be ("Saint' by the Apparat, "Savior" by the Darkling--in the first book, "Queen" by Nikolai). The strongest desires I understood from her (that were entirely hers) were her uncontrollable hunger for more power (for the amplifiers), and her love for Mal (in previous books).
But I think the fact that we didn't get any real and memorable conviction from her to be a ruler makes some sense by the end. (Please don't read this spoiler if you haven't read the book)I think if I actually understood and felt her desire to be queen, and Grisha ruler, the ending would be a lot harder to accept. And since her hunger for power got annoying for me by the end, I did not mind much that she lost it. Besides that, I never saw her character as a great candidate for ruler.
The Darkling... I don't know which movie or book I heard this from, that a hero is only as good as the villain. Well, what can you saw about a villain that is far better than the hero (at least I think so)? Or is he an anti-hero or a tragic-hero who has made disastrous choices...? He is a complex character, for sure. Through Alina's eyes, we see the "villain" for so long, but at some points in this book, you get a glimpse of a deeper side. Despite all his crimes (which you can't overlook), he feels a bit more human and not just a power hungry tyrant.
His relationship (connection) with Alina is always fascinating - opposites but alike. He wants her to be the balance to his power and loneliness, but can Alina really understand him after everything? I wish we got more of his POV and his past story, but from what little Baghra tells, you can see why he's always needed someone like Alina (I also recommend you read his prequel novella, [b:The Demon in the Wood|24641800|The Demon in the Wood (The Grisha, #0.1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1445169126s/24641800.jpg|44254534], as short as it is).
As for Alina, how are her powers so special without the Darkling, really? Light isn't as valuable when you aren't fighting darkness just as strong.
Speaking of Alina's powers -- as much back story and revelations we got for other characters, I'm still surprised we never learned what was the source of her rare power. Or did I miss something?
I can easily say my favorite character in the series is Nikolai Lantsov!!
He is a supporting chatacter as much I hope for him to be the lead! But in this book, he's not just the wonderful, enigmatic and charismatic pirate prince that takes the story to new heights of fun and action. He faces something that challenges everything about himself that makes him capable and always in control. I won't spoil anything, and we don't really see much of his struggles, but enough that my heart broke and lifted every time he was on the page. Overall, he's fantastic through and through.
And of course, he has the best lines in the series! Watch out for his banter with Baghra - hilarious!
And can I just say... I absolutely love Nikolai and Alina's relationship (friendship).
After reading the second book, I didn't want them to be anymore than friends, but in this book, I kind of started liking the idea of them as a possible couple (in short, I "ship" them a bit)... Mal is her 'true love', I get it, and even appreciate why. But it's just she and Nikolai bring out sides of each other I really like. Besides the fun and easy banter between them, Alina sounds more level headed and mature around him, and he shows more of himself and his vulnerability around her.
Plus, Alina truly cares about Nikolai. She loves Mal, but Nikolai is special to her too. But yeah, they do have a great friendship.
And there's more friends to mention! We have a small band of Grisha that aren't just allies but true friends and loyal supporters to Alina. Genya is fantastic is in this book and I never thought I would like her character so much. David, Tamar, Tolya, Nadia, Adrik (Nadia's younger brother), Harshaw and his cat (so weird and delightful), and definitely Zoya> too! I love how snarky and spoiled Zoya is, and how finally we see hints of genuine friendship and respect between her and Alina instead of more jealousy and pettiness. There's also Micha, the little servant boy who was always with Baghra, who joins the gang and is all kinds of adorable. And I loved the big brother role that Mal took on for him.
Baghra was badass in this book, and we learn so much more about her.
There is so much to say about this trilogy. But mostly, it really surprised me. I only decided to read the trilogy to prepare for Six of Crows (though I heard you don't need to do that). I was not expecting much, especially after the first book felt like it did not live up to the hype. But the trilogy as a whole definitely did. It was thrilling and rich fantasy that I am so glad I did not miss out on. And this book brought almost all the elements of the story together with a strong conclusion and some bittersweetness. But it made sense and felt true to the story as it began in the first book.
I don't want to leave this world yet and I am so glad that the author's next duology [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] takes place in the same world, and I can follow the story through that amazing map again. I love maps in fantasy books - and this one feels so special for some reason!
I am not ruined. I am ruination.
You know a series ended brilliantly when it makes you want to rush back to the first book and reread it with this new enlightened perspective! This book kept me on edge through the revelations, heart-stopping events, and both epic and emotional scenes! By the end, I was just so very happy with the reading experience!
The book started at such an odd place, with Alina, Mal, and the Grisha survivors, in an underground cave where everyone there practically worshipped Alina... And while that part was slow (and again, weird), the story really kicked off after they got out. And of course, things got a lot more exciting once Nikolai appeared.
The legend and story of Morozova and his amplifiers is explored and explained here -- and it's worth the wait of the past three books! I was able to guess a few things but I was still happy with the answers we got! The best part of the finale is that it makes me want to review the series as a whole and not just this last book. It's easy to believe the author had everything meticulously planned from the start, and the story never wavered from that.
The characters were fantastic in this book!
After reading the second book, I hoped Mal and Alina would show more maturity and self assuredness, and I was happy that both showed impressive changes in this book. Especially Mal.
I really like how he led the team and was patient and strong for Alina's sake. So different from the Mal in the previous book - but it looks like he got all his
“I won’t fail you again.”
Still, I feel like he took the selfless hero role a bit too seriously that at one point or two, it felt a bit too dramatic. The "I am become a blade" tattoo he got made me roll my eyes a bit. It was like the poor guy was trying to so hard to find purpose. But it's a good thing he got it, I guess.
Alina... I have to be honest she is not my favorite YA or fantasy heroine. She goes through what a lot of other main characters in similar shoes do, but I found it so hard to connect with her. In this book, it's like with no preamble or thought process to explain why and how, she's convinced she has to be queen. And it's like everyone else expects it too.
I understand how her power and reputation makes her the logical choice to help Nikolai unite the Grisha with the first army... But the thing is I never felt her inner conviction or any explanation as to why she suddenly wants to be a leader -- and royalty at that. It's like she is always what she's told she has to be ("Saint' by the Apparat, "Savior" by the Darkling--in the first book, "Queen" by Nikolai). The strongest desires I understood from her (that were entirely hers) were her uncontrollable hunger for more power (for the amplifiers), and her love for Mal (in previous books).
"They wanted a Grisha queen. Mal wanted a commoner queen. And what did I want? Peace for Ravka. A chance to sleep easy in my bed without fear. An end to the guilt and dread that I woke to every morning. There were old wants too, to be loved for who I was, not what I could do, to lie in a meadow with a boy’s arms around me and watch the wind move the clouds. But those dreams belonged to a girl, not to the Sun Summoner, not to a Saint."
But I think the fact that we didn't get any real and memorable conviction from her to be a ruler makes some sense by the end. (Please don't read this spoiler if you haven't read the book)
"I’ll tell you a story—one I used to tell a little boy with dark hair, a silent boy who rarely laughed, who listened more closely than I realized. A boy who had a name and not a title.”
The Darkling... I don't know which movie or book I heard this from, that a hero is only as good as the villain. Well, what can you saw about a villain that is far better than the hero (at least I think so)? Or is he an anti-hero or a tragic-hero who has made disastrous choices...? He is a complex character, for sure. Through Alina's eyes, we see the "villain" for so long, but at some points in this book, you get a glimpse of a deeper side. Despite all his crimes (which you can't overlook), he feels a bit more human and not just a power hungry tyrant.
“You might make me a better man.”
"And you might make me a monster.”
His relationship (connection) with Alina is always fascinating - opposites but alike. He wants her to be the balance to his power and loneliness, but can Alina really understand him after everything? I wish we got more of his POV and his past story, but from what little Baghra tells, you can see why he's always needed someone like Alina (I also recommend you read his prequel novella, [b:The Demon in the Wood|24641800|The Demon in the Wood (The Grisha, #0.1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1445169126s/24641800.jpg|44254534], as short as it is).
As for Alina, how are her powers so special without the Darkling, really? Light isn't as valuable when you aren't fighting darkness just as strong.
Speaking of Alina's powers -- as much back story and revelations we got for other characters, I'm still surprised we never learned what was the source of her rare power. Or did I miss something?
I can easily say my favorite character in the series is Nikolai Lantsov!!
"Being around Nikolai was always like this, watching him shift and change, revealing secrets as he went. He reminded me of the wooden nesting dolls I’d played with as a child. Except instead of getting smaller, he just kept getting grander and more mysterious."
He is a supporting chatacter as much I hope for him to be the lead! But in this book, he's not just the wonderful, enigmatic and charismatic pirate prince that takes the story to new heights of fun and action. He faces something that challenges everything about himself that makes him capable and always in control. I won't spoil anything, and we don't really see much of his struggles, but enough that my heart broke and lifted every time he was on the page. Overall, he's fantastic through and through.
And of course, he has the best lines in the series! Watch out for his banter with Baghra - hilarious!
And can I just say... I absolutely love Nikolai and Alina's relationship (friendship).
"I’d missed him. The way he talked. The way he attacked a problem. The way he brought hope with him wherever he went. For the first time in months, I felt the knot in my chest ease."
After reading the second book, I didn't want them to be anymore than friends, but in this book, I kind of started liking the idea of them as a possible couple (in short, I "ship" them a bit)... Mal is her 'true love', I get it, and even appreciate why. But it's just she and Nikolai bring out sides of each other I really like. Besides the fun and easy banter between them, Alina sounds more level headed and mature around him, and he shows more of himself and his vulnerability around her.
Plus, Alina truly cares about Nikolai. She loves Mal, but Nikolai is special to her too. But yeah, they do have a great friendship.
And there's more friends to mention! We have a small band of Grisha that aren't just allies but true friends and loyal supporters to Alina. Genya is fantastic is in this book and I never thought I would like her character so much. David, Tamar, Tolya, Nadia, Adrik (Nadia's younger brother), Harshaw and his cat (so weird and delightful), and definitely Zoya> too! I love how snarky and spoiled Zoya is, and how finally we see hints of genuine friendship and respect between her and Alina instead of more jealousy and pettiness. There's also Micha, the little servant boy who was always with Baghra, who joins the gang and is all kinds of adorable. And I loved the big brother role that Mal took on for him.
Baghra was badass in this book, and we learn so much more about her.
There is so much to say about this trilogy. But mostly, it really surprised me. I only decided to read the trilogy to prepare for Six of Crows (though I heard you don't need to do that). I was not expecting much, especially after the first book felt like it did not live up to the hype. But the trilogy as a whole definitely did. It was thrilling and rich fantasy that I am so glad I did not miss out on. And this book brought almost all the elements of the story together with a strong conclusion and some bittersweetness. But it made sense and felt true to the story as it began in the first book.
I don't want to leave this world yet and I am so glad that the author's next duology [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] takes place in the same world, and I can follow the story through that amazing map again. I love maps in fantasy books - and this one feels so special for some reason!
Spoiler
And I know I will now get chills and feel a bit sad looking at the space that was "the Fold".
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
This was probably the best one? Solid execution. Made me like Mal more than previously. The side characters were nice, although something about how David was treated by the rest didnt quite sit right with me. In the end, I maintain that Alina and Genya had better chemistry than Alina and any of the three boys, especially in book 1. I dont care for Nikolai as much as many others seem to, as I find his dialogue a bit tedious to read? Anyway, excited for Six of Crows (as every other reviewer seems to be lol). I probably wont reread this one.
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Did Alina seriously murder the Darkling and end up with Mal???!!¿
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
tried to start listening to this again and i just don’t care how it ends anymore and have zero interest in the story lol