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diifacto's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting and Grief
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm sad that I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book. It's still a good book but I found the first part too boring and the second too annoying. Which is probably not fair because there were cool scenes in the first part as well but it dragged a little too much for me. And the second part... I finally know why everyone says Mal and Alina are annoying. Because they are! Don't get me wrong, I love them both and I'm rooting for them. But their communication skills are nonexistent and this is SO frustrating. Nikolai rescued huge parts of the book for me. The banter whenever he was in the scene was just great.
I also really liked the whole Saints mystery and I wish there was more of that. I hope this will be a bigger part in the last book.
And there is one trope in this book that I realised I like a lot. It's when the protagonist and antagonist have this special... bond (when you know what I mean). And I think it is expertly done here. It makes sense and it is used very sparsely so it's quite effective. It gave me goosebumps everytime it happened.
Now the ending.... is amazing! The showdown and aftermath are perfect. I was glued to the pages the whole time. Loved the setting at the very end. I can't wait to continue (next month or so ^^; ).
I also really liked the whole Saints mystery and I wish there was more of that. I hope this will be a bigger part in the last book.
And there is one trope in this book that I realised I like a lot. It's when the protagonist and antagonist have this special... bond (when you know what I mean). And I think it is expertly done here. It makes sense and it is used very sparsely so it's quite effective. It gave me goosebumps everytime it happened.
Now the ending.... is amazing! The showdown and aftermath are perfect. I was glued to the pages the whole time. Loved the setting at the very end. I can't wait to continue (next month or so ^^; ).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
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
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
ehmannky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The second book in a trilogy is usually the weakest, but I honestly feel like Siege and Storm drastically improves on the first installment. I truly felt Mal and Alina's connection, the tension felt much more palpable now that there didn't have to be the interlude at the palace, and I really liked the interplay of politics and the way that duty just weighs on the soul. I have no idea how it would be if you read these all spread out, but reading the series back to back just really creates a cohesive story that builds and builds on itself.
Also, now that I have started looking around on the internet for the fandom of this series, I do not understand the dislike of Mal. Honestly, his reactions seemed completely reasonable to his situation and his biggest crime seems to be 1) not being the Darkling and 2) not being able to read Alina's mind when she is actively pushing him away and not telling him what she's going through and 3) going into a spiral over #2 while also dealing with having his sense of purpose stripped away.
Also, now that I have started looking around on the internet for the fandom of this series, I do not understand the dislike of Mal. Honestly, his reactions seemed completely reasonable to his situation and his biggest crime seems to be 1) not being the Darkling and 2) not being able to read Alina's mind when she is actively pushing him away and not telling him what she's going through and 3) going into a spiral over #2 while also dealing with having his sense of purpose stripped away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Grief, and Gore
Minor: Sexual assault
claudiaswords's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-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 didn't expect so much to happen at the end of this book. The last 10% WAS WILD. Definitely excited to read the next one, although I don't know if I'm going to do it right away. My biggest take away from this book is that it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I actually really enjoyed it and it didn't bore me at all. I liked Alina's development and I'm excited to see how she develops further in Ruin and Rising. There is also Mal. He got on my nerves A LOT, but I get where he's coming from. I think he is struggling a lot to adapt to the changes in his relationship with Alina, before he was the stronger one, the protector and saviour but now Alina can fend for herself and he doesn't know what his role should be now. There definitely should have been more communication but I think both were in the right. Then there is the Darkling. I still don't get why people love him so much, maybe I am one of those people who doesn't feel attracted to the bad guy or something but I genuinely don't get what people see in him.
In summary, I liked this second installment in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, it definitely felt weird in terms of plot structure (a lot of action at the beginning and then nothing until the last 10%) but I didn't find it boring and I enjoyed getting to see Alina as a leader in a small way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
kaylamoran's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I definitely preferred the first book over this one. Will still read the third, but I often found myself struggling to stay interested in this one, and had no particular motivation to read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Racism
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