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tmtiofolklore's review against another edition
dnf @ 40%
i'm sorry i literally cannot do this any longer, this book is so painfully boring.
i'm sorry i literally cannot do this any longer, this book is so painfully boring.
junyan's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5 Still not good but better than last book I think? I don't like who Alina ends up with because I see how Alina gave up part of herself to fit his expectation and it's icky. Seriously, can these men leave her alone??? Also, the ending comes too easy imo, you write two books full of adventures and obstacles for MCs and now you just end it that way?
kylahanley's review against another edition
5.0
It going to be so hard to talk about this one but I’ll try my best
This book was definitely my least favorite out of the series but I still enjoyed it for the most part
I had an uneasy feeling at the start of the end of this book I was heartbroken and got this bitter feeling that I can’t quite explain but closer to the end the “after” as it’s written in the book saved the whole book for me because my heart was broken and fixed all at once and I’m so happy with how it ended
While it is in a way bittersweet for me because I won’t be reading the two books about Nikolai I feel it wrapped up in a way where I’m satisfied
Now there are going to be spoilers sprinkled in from here read at your own discretion
I want to talk about the characters here and my thoughts about them
The darkling
So I know he is supposed to be a villain but I don’t hate him I feel like he was just a boy who went down the wrong path and was broken you can really see that when it gets to the end where he dies I got the feeling that he was scared and didn’t want to die
And you could also see how heartbroken he was when he found out Alina lost her powers because now he had no one he can relate to
I know he did really bad things but I just have so much sympathy for him and just thinking about him at the end of the book just breaks my heart
Nikolai
I love Nikolai you could even say I have a crush on him he is charming and funny and I just love everything he brought to the series
And if Alina won’t have him I’ll take him for her at the end of the book you can tell he’s gone threw a lot and he has a lot of scars and he is not quite the same Nikolai we know and love but I hope he will be able to move past it all and get back to a new normal since now he has a lot on his hands
Now for a controversial one
Mal and Alina
I didn’t really like their relationship in this book and I don’t know if it’s because of the long breaks I took from reading this book not because of the content but just because I had to write down what happened so I could tell my cousin I do agree with what some people say about mal like I don’t necessarily believe he loved her in the past as much as he said he did (meaning romantically and other things as well) but no one can really say because we don’t get much of it do know that he at least cared about her I feel like people want mal to be this perfect person (which Is ironic because most people think he’s too perfect but I don’t) but he is not the author made him really realistic he has his own wants and selfish desires just like everyone else on the planet but for some reason when it comes to him almost everyone hates him for it and I think that is wrong he loves Alina more than anything and people villainies him for it
People also complain that Alina couldn’t leave her past behind but what if that’s the person she truly is throughout all the books to me it never even seemed like Alina enjoyed being Grisha all she ever talked about was being normal having all this power never was something she wanted I think Alina just wanted a simple happy life not everyone wants to be queen and rule over a whole bunch of people she never talked about having big dreams and ambitions like if that was part of her character from the beginning then I could understand why people are upset by it because she basically threw it all away but that never seemed like something she wanted all these things were just thrown at her with no warning I think people are having a hard time excepting as that some people just want to be like everyone else without the responsibility of a whole kingdom
Alina seems to only be the sun summoner because she thought that was her duty and she had to fulfill it but she never really wanted it and now that she is regular she is at peace with no more unwanted responsibility she free to be whoever
And how the author put it :
They have an ordinary life filled with ordinary things if love could ever be called that
The friends
I’m so happy that they all are still friends and seems like they will still see each other from time to time
Sadly they didn’t say much about my beloved twins tolya and Tamar but I’m sure there doing just fine
So that’s a wrap folks I really enjoyed my time in this world even though from the beginning I wasn’t thinking much about it I don’t even truly know why I started it in the first place but I’m happy I did
Three five stars for all the books ⭐️<
(Still not watching the show though)
This book was definitely my least favorite out of the series but I still enjoyed it for the most part
I had an uneasy feeling at the start of the end of this book I was heartbroken and got this bitter feeling that I can’t quite explain but closer to the end the “after” as it’s written in the book saved the whole book for me because my heart was broken and fixed all at once and I’m so happy with how it ended
While it is in a way bittersweet for me because I won’t be reading the two books about Nikolai I feel it wrapped up in a way where I’m satisfied
Now there are going to be spoilers sprinkled in from here read at your own discretion
I want to talk about the characters here and my thoughts about them
The darkling
So I know he is supposed to be a villain but I don’t hate him I feel like he was just a boy who went down the wrong path and was broken you can really see that when it gets to the end where he dies I got the feeling that he was scared and didn’t want to die
And you could also see how heartbroken he was when he found out Alina lost her powers because now he had no one he can relate to
I know he did really bad things but I just have so much sympathy for him and just thinking about him at the end of the book just breaks my heart
Nikolai
I love Nikolai you could even say I have a crush on him he is charming and funny and I just love everything he brought to the series
And if Alina won’t have him I’ll take him for her at the end of the book you can tell he’s gone threw a lot and he has a lot of scars and he is not quite the same Nikolai we know and love but I hope he will be able to move past it all and get back to a new normal since now he has a lot on his hands
Now for a controversial one
Mal and Alina
I didn’t really like their relationship in this book and I don’t know if it’s because of the long breaks I took from reading this book not because of the content but just because I had to write down what happened so I could tell my cousin I do agree with what some people say about mal like I don’t necessarily believe he loved her in the past as much as he said he did (meaning romantically and other things as well) but no one can really say because we don’t get much of it do know that he at least cared about her I feel like people want mal to be this perfect person (which Is ironic because most people think he’s too perfect but I don’t) but he is not the author made him really realistic he has his own wants and selfish desires just like everyone else on the planet but for some reason when it comes to him almost everyone hates him for it and I think that is wrong he loves Alina more than anything and people villainies him for it
People also complain that Alina couldn’t leave her past behind but what if that’s the person she truly is throughout all the books to me it never even seemed like Alina enjoyed being Grisha all she ever talked about was being normal having all this power never was something she wanted I think Alina just wanted a simple happy life not everyone wants to be queen and rule over a whole bunch of people she never talked about having big dreams and ambitions like if that was part of her character from the beginning then I could understand why people are upset by it because she basically threw it all away but that never seemed like something she wanted all these things were just thrown at her with no warning I think people are having a hard time excepting as that some people just want to be like everyone else without the responsibility of a whole kingdom
Alina seems to only be the sun summoner because she thought that was her duty and she had to fulfill it but she never really wanted it and now that she is regular she is at peace with no more unwanted responsibility she free to be whoever
And how the author put it :
They have an ordinary life filled with ordinary things if love could ever be called that
The friends
I’m so happy that they all are still friends and seems like they will still see each other from time to time
Sadly they didn’t say much about my beloved twins tolya and Tamar but I’m sure there doing just fine
So that’s a wrap folks I really enjoyed my time in this world even though from the beginning I wasn’t thinking much about it I don’t even truly know why I started it in the first place but I’m happy I did
Three five stars for all the books ⭐️<
(Still not watching the show though)
maida's review against another edition
2.0
“I was a living star. I was combustion. I was a new sun born to shatter air and eat the earth.
I am ruination.”
1.5 stars
I usually don’t go into heavy spoilers in my goodreads reviews because not many people can read them, but it’s been about 24 hours since I finished this book and I still have the need to rant. So there’s your warning.
Let’s start with the characters.
• Nikolai was barely in the book which was Leigh Bardugo’s biggest mistake because whenever he wasn’t there it was so boring I couldn’t even force myself to read. His storyline was such a cop out also. And I know that King of Scars is a thing now, but we didn’t get any closure on his arc… like at all.
• Mal got a bit better, I guess? But not really? He only “loves” Alina now because he’s a jealous fuck who couldn’t accept her being more powerful than him but I guess that doesn’t matter anymore right?
• There’s finally some character development on the side characters which was nice… Tamar and Nadia are my ride or die now tbh.
• And then there’s freaking Alina Starkov. I don’t know how Leigh Bardugo did it, but she basically tore apart everything she had built and regressed Alina’s character all the way back to book one. Not only is Alina powerless (for no other reason than to make Malina a thing which is so annoying), but she’s also back to her insecure and lonely self. I hate it. I was really hoping Alina would turn into an anti-hero or even a full on villain in this book, because of how many times Leigh hinted her power was corrupting her… but it didn’t happen. I’m so annoyed.
Well, there’s almost none, but let’s talk about the plot points that I liked next:
• Alina being able to speak to the Darkling whenever she pleased. It really showed how powerful she actually was. Besides, it helped to build (the unexisting) tension.
• The first couple of chapters when we saw how Alina played the Aparath and also the scene where she gets her powers back.
• Every time Nikolai was on the page because I love my boy.
Some of the plot points that I absolutely despised were:
• Alina ending up with someone. She literally didn’t fit with any of the (three) dudes… but she could’ve at least chosen someone like Nikolai who didn’t spend 3 books bringing her down and treating her like shit because she happened to be more powerful than him. anyway
• Mal being the third amplifier. I actually started dying laughing when it was revealed… because it made 0 sense. I also hated that he didn’t actually die even when he was the amplifier. Why! did! we! have! to! bring! this! boring! piece! of! cardboard! back!
• Alina losing her powers. What was even the point of reading this trilogy? Why didn’t the Darkling also lose his powers? Or every other Grisha? That would’ve been so interesting but nope! She had to take away everything that made Alina slightly less bland.
• I was under the impression that destroying the Fold was our number one priority and then we would kill the Darkling but I guess the Fold wasn’t actually that bad?
• The fact that the book is LITERALLY called Ruin and Rising but there’s next to cero ruining and Alina definitely doesn’t rise to power bECAUSE SHE’S SO FUCKING BLAND.
• Since I thought Alina might go to the “dark side”, I was really hoping for her and the Darkling to go down together but instead she kills him just by… sticking a knife into his heart? I thought he was way more powerful than that? Did no one ever try to do that before?
With all that said, and though I’m bitter, I still really loved Leigh’s writing, but we all have to admit that the pacing was waaaaay off. Again, love the fact that we finally got some characterization on most of the side characters, but the only thing I will remember from this book is this:
If you want to get the boy, just make yourself smaller for him, because dudes don’t like powerful women. Yeah.
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1
I’m aware this review doesn’t make any sense but I can’t seem to properly write words when I’m angry.
I am ruination.”
1.5 stars
I usually don’t go into heavy spoilers in my goodreads reviews because not many people can read them, but it’s been about 24 hours since I finished this book and I still have the need to rant. So there’s your warning.
Let’s start with the characters.
• Nikolai was barely in the book which was Leigh Bardugo’s biggest mistake because whenever he wasn’t there it was so boring I couldn’t even force myself to read. His storyline was such a cop out also. And I know that King of Scars is a thing now, but we didn’t get any closure on his arc… like at all.
• Mal got a bit better, I guess? But not really? He only “loves” Alina now because he’s a jealous fuck who couldn’t accept her being more powerful than him but I guess that doesn’t matter anymore right?
• There’s finally some character development on the side characters which was nice… Tamar and Nadia are my ride or die now tbh.
• And then there’s freaking Alina Starkov. I don’t know how Leigh Bardugo did it, but she basically tore apart everything she had built and regressed Alina’s character all the way back to book one. Not only is Alina powerless (for no other reason than to make Malina a thing which is so annoying), but she’s also back to her insecure and lonely self. I hate it. I was really hoping Alina would turn into an anti-hero or even a full on villain in this book, because of how many times Leigh hinted her power was corrupting her… but it didn’t happen. I’m so annoyed.
Well, there’s almost none, but let’s talk about the plot points that I liked next:
• Alina being able to speak to the Darkling whenever she pleased. It really showed how powerful she actually was. Besides, it helped to build (the unexisting) tension.
• The first couple of chapters when we saw how Alina played the Aparath and also the scene where she gets her powers back.
• Every time Nikolai was on the page because I love my boy.
Some of the plot points that I absolutely despised were:
• Alina ending up with someone. She literally didn’t fit with any of the (three) dudes… but she could’ve at least chosen someone like Nikolai who didn’t spend 3 books bringing her down and treating her like shit because she happened to be more powerful than him. anyway
• Mal being the third amplifier. I actually started dying laughing when it was revealed… because it made 0 sense. I also hated that he didn’t actually die even when he was the amplifier. Why! did! we! have! to! bring! this! boring! piece! of! cardboard! back!
• Alina losing her powers. What was even the point of reading this trilogy? Why didn’t the Darkling also lose his powers? Or every other Grisha? That would’ve been so interesting but nope! She had to take away everything that made Alina slightly less bland.
• I was under the impression that destroying the Fold was our number one priority and then we would kill the Darkling but I guess the Fold wasn’t actually that bad?
• The fact that the book is LITERALLY called Ruin and Rising but there’s next to cero ruining and Alina definitely doesn’t rise to power bECAUSE SHE’S SO FUCKING BLAND.
• Since I thought Alina might go to the “dark side”, I was really hoping for her and the Darkling to go down together but instead she kills him just by… sticking a knife into his heart? I thought he was way more powerful than that? Did no one ever try to do that before?
With all that said, and though I’m bitter, I still really loved Leigh’s writing, but we all have to admit that the pacing was waaaaay off. Again, love the fact that we finally got some characterization on most of the side characters, but the only thing I will remember from this book is this:
If you want to get the boy, just make yourself smaller for him, because dudes don’t like powerful women. Yeah.
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1
I’m aware this review doesn’t make any sense but I can’t seem to properly write words when I’m angry.
han_nahreads's review against another edition
3.0
This half-arsed review contains spoilers that I can't be bothered to edit it out.
Me before reading this book
Me after this book
-sigh- seriously? That is how it fucking ended. I was so pumped to learn more about the Darkling and yet he was hardly fucking in it! Damn...so disappointed.
The bad:
Nikolai-one of my favourite characters, and like the Darkling, swept to one side while I have to read some bullshit on Alina and Mal's trainwreck of a relationship.
Mal-couldn't give a flying fuck 'bout him
Alina-oh...oh you stupid girl. So you decided not to be Queen then...that's fine, just a waste of potential is all i'm sayin'. Oh you gave that up so you could be with one of the worst douchebags ever that felt that he couldn't be with you if you held a higher position than him, that he would feel 'emasculated'.....jeez Louise girl, have you no SENSE!
Not enough Darkling.
The ending. WTF was that all about.
The good:
Zoya surprisingly. Why did I feel that she was the only one who had her shit together.
Nadia + Tamar (adorable)
Secondary characters carried this book.
Overall, a very underwhelming end to an average trilogy.
Me before reading this book
Me after this book
-sigh- seriously? That is how it fucking ended. I was so pumped to learn more about the Darkling and yet he was hardly fucking in it! Damn...so disappointed.
The bad:
Nikolai-one of my favourite characters, and like the Darkling, swept to one side while I have to read some bullshit on Alina and Mal's trainwreck of a relationship.
Mal-couldn't give a flying fuck 'bout him
Alina-oh...oh you stupid girl. So you decided not to be Queen then...that's fine, just a waste of potential is all i'm sayin'. Oh you gave that up so you could be with one of the worst douchebags ever that felt that he couldn't be with you if you held a higher position than him, that he would feel 'emasculated'.....jeez Louise girl, have you no SENSE!
Not enough Darkling.
The ending. WTF was that all about.
The good:
Zoya surprisingly. Why did I feel that she was the only one who had her shit together.
Nadia + Tamar (adorable)
Secondary characters carried this book.
Overall, a very underwhelming end to an average trilogy.
lin143's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.5
crestoriacrow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
maddyg11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
amelia_rose_20's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
7.75/10. | "Ruin and Rising" shines brightest through characters like Genya, Nikolai, and the Darkling, who truly embody the heart of the series. While the ending left me yearning for a different resolution, the finale was ultimately satisfying.
tropicalparadise17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25