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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Fourth star against my better judgement. I just really liked the plot twist.
The character development felt like I missed something? What happened to book 2 and the emotional trauma? How are these people not more at odds with each other? How is stabbing the Darkling how he dies? Why does Mal come back? How perfect of an ending even is this?
I’m just disappointed I guess.
I don’t usually say this but it might have been better if it was a bit longer and let some character arcs breath/develop more.
The character development felt like I missed something? What happened to book 2 and the emotional trauma? How are these people not more at odds with each other? How is stabbing the Darkling how he dies? Why does Mal come back? How perfect of an ending even is this?
I’m just disappointed I guess.
I don’t usually say this but it might have been better if it was a bit longer and let some character arcs breath/develop more.
Found bits of the plot of this book a bit convoluted/unpredictable (derogatory).
Overall, decent ending I suppose. I don't think it will stick w me too long.
Spoiler
I like that she lost ALL that power in the end. Don't like that Mal came back to life.Overall, decent ending I suppose. I don't think it will stick w me too long.
Finally the series got better, but the fact that it takes 3 books for the pace to finally pick up and for more significant events to happen without scenes dragging out, as well as finally some proper character development, is baffling. Still, side characters like Genya and Nikolai were 1000% more interesting and memorable than the mc. Forced myself to finish the series as I want to read Six of Ccrows because many people seem to love that duology. But if it weren't for that, I definitely would not have finished the series.
All in all, cool magic system, but so much potential lost because of the pace only picking up in the third book, lack of intriguing descriptions of events, and lack of impactfulness of the mc's personality and being compared to side characters.
All in all, cool magic system, but so much potential lost because of the pace only picking up in the third book, lack of intriguing descriptions of events, and lack of impactfulness of the mc's personality and being compared to side characters.
Sometimes I find it funny to see how my review is so mainstream. I react the same way as most reader and I think that's okay. It means that lots of people felt the same as me.
Ruin and Rising was.. an okay conclusion. I don't know how much stars should I give but I think 4 stars would do this right.
I know on the second book Mal was on his bad pace and he shows that he's getting better and somehow, yes, I know that his top priority is Alina. Okay, but still.
So the book was started with how Alina was escaped from the Darkling since the last time on the secons book and is now live on the basement, unable to use her power because she didn't get amount of sunshine. Things happened and when I thought everything is okay, their plan would do but just as the last time, Darkling come without notice.
Nikolai, oh.... Dear Nikolai. Somehow I got little bit spoiler from King of Scars synopsis but I have no idea that it gonna be this bad. I feel so sad, I'm crying a lot everytime he makes an appearance.
The ending is good. Quiet a happy ending and yea it's better this way. They deserved to have happy life.
Ruin and Rising was.. an okay conclusion. I don't know how much stars should I give but I think 4 stars would do this right.
I know on the second book Mal was on his bad pace and he shows that he's getting better and somehow, yes, I know that his top priority is Alina. Okay, but still.
So the book was started with how Alina was escaped from the Darkling since the last time on the secons book and is now live on the basement, unable to use her power because she didn't get amount of sunshine. Things happened and when I thought everything is okay, their plan would do but just as the last time, Darkling come without notice.
Nikolai, oh.... Dear Nikolai. Somehow I got little bit spoiler from King of Scars synopsis but I have no idea that it gonna be this bad. I feel so sad, I'm crying a lot everytime he makes an appearance.
The ending is good. Quiet a happy ending and yea it's better this way. They deserved to have happy life.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Again, very standard YA. Wasn't a huge fan of the reveal at the end, it was a bit of a eye roll moment for me.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Leiigh Bardugo is one hell of a writer. I see this trilogy as the protoype for [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/1459349344l/23437156._SY75_.jpg|42077459] because it tries a lot of the things out that happen in the next Grishaverse duology but doesn't always hit the mark. Regardless, it's a compelling read that invests you in something whether it be the characters, their relationships, or just the world setting itself. It also goes above and beyond the usual big battle then The End we get from many a novel, so while the ending didn't totally satisfy in terms of tension and drama it did in terms of finishing up the individual stories of our heroes.
I'm still a little disappointed by the character development and world building aspects - they seemed almost absent since the first book. Everyone becomes this team of sudden BFFs who snark and share easy banter despite not really having earned it (a theme that occurs and is dealt with so well in Six of Crows). I know their names, but beyond Mal and Alina everyone's a bit 2D and limited to a set of traits (Zoya = bitchy, beautiful; David = studious, oblivious; Harshaw = pyromaniac, cat-lover; Stigg = Fjerdan, ???) so it's hard to care much for them. There's so little friendly chemistry that it relies on their sarcasm, which while entertaining is a bit forced. I can't say I was overly struck on the coupling-offs that occurred either; again, they felt unearned.
Horcrux amplifier all along because... legendary reasons? And he can't be killed off because... legendary reasons? Stolen life force something something... Well, if you wanted a HEA that badly I guess.
Revelations in terms of the plot were a tad anti-climactic, more a case of "oh, really? Eh" then being shockingly wonderful. They just took so long to get to. Alina's narration is great for helping speed up the sometimes painful slow pace, but it could still be frustrating. I guess I just expected more tension and more heartache over characters' fates considering the length of the build up. There's closure for sure, but I didn't get the emotional heft I hoped for.
I preferred the first book to these later parts purely because it did more to set up the world and characters. Later it's more just stuff happens/people talk/people smooch/people die. It was very young adult academy with all it's infighting and fish-out-of-water politics, whereas books 2 and 3 wanted to be more adventure/romance. That switcharoo of tone and expectations is probably why I didn't find it quite as satisfying as I hoped.
But basically that I finished it and liked it in any way proves to me at least that Leigh Bardugo is an amazing writer. She can engage me even when I'm not 100% invested in what's going on, and her imagination is a strange and creepy place that's interesting to visit. I may not have loved everything about the story, but it was an enjoyable enough ride.
I'm still a little disappointed by the character development and world building aspects - they seemed almost absent since the first book. Everyone becomes this team of sudden BFFs who snark and share easy banter despite not really having earned it (a theme that occurs and is dealt with so well in Six of Crows). I know their names, but beyond Mal and Alina everyone's a bit 2D and limited to a set of traits (Zoya = bitchy, beautiful; David = studious, oblivious; Harshaw = pyromaniac, cat-lover; Stigg = Fjerdan, ???) so it's hard to care much for them. There's so little friendly chemistry that it relies on their sarcasm, which while entertaining is a bit forced. I can't say I was overly struck on the coupling-offs that occurred either; again, they felt unearned.
Spoiler
Frustrated ranty spoilers: Mal and Alina (and all her Grisha friends tbh) are bound together by circumstances and sarcasm, not chemistry. The Darkling was barely there and relegated to the evil-friend-zone. Nikolai is pretty much male Zoya. Deaths were just another thing that occurred rather than meaning something. Stigg, Harshaw, Sergei, even Baghra to a certain extent... Just chucked away and shortly forgotten about. The guys finallygo hunt the MacGuffin for an age before realising that Mal has been theRevelations in terms of the plot were a tad anti-climactic, more a case of "oh, really? Eh" then being shockingly wonderful. They just took so long to get to. Alina's narration is great for helping speed up the sometimes painful slow pace, but it could still be frustrating. I guess I just expected more tension and more heartache over characters' fates considering the length of the build up. There's closure for sure, but I didn't get the emotional heft I hoped for.
I preferred the first book to these later parts purely because it did more to set up the world and characters. Later it's more just stuff happens/people talk/people smooch/people die. It was very young adult academy with all it's infighting and fish-out-of-water politics, whereas books 2 and 3 wanted to be more adventure/romance. That switcharoo of tone and expectations is probably why I didn't find it quite as satisfying as I hoped.
But basically that I finished it and liked it in any way proves to me at least that Leigh Bardugo is an amazing writer. She can engage me even when I'm not 100% invested in what's going on, and her imagination is a strange and creepy place that's interesting to visit. I may not have loved everything about the story, but it was an enjoyable enough ride.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes