A review by magicshop
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

 I am not ruined. I am ruination.

i would like to thank the universe for providing me the strength to finish this series. hopefully it'll all be worth it in april

the good
  • i could feel bardugo's writing getting better in this one
  • i enjoyed the book more than the last two simply by sheer virtue of how used i was to the characters by now. even when they were annoying everyone was still more likable because i knew them better, the way you begrudgingly enjoy a shitty uncle's jokes because you've been hearing them for years and it's part of your affective memory
  • genya/alina still rules supreme 
  • so does baghra
  • absolutely loved every single moment with The Gorls. somehow they were all collectively and individually more interesting than alina
  • TAMAR/NADIA!! THESE BREADCRUMBS ARE INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE BUT MY GAY ASS IS STILL GOBBLING THEM UP!!!!!!!!!!
  • the alina/mal ending was really satisfying for them, i have to admit. it's kind of what i'd hoped for alina, and if mal is there too then at least alina is happier i guess.......i'll allow it

the bad
  • i think switching between alina and darkling povs would've made these series 100% more interesting to get through 
  • i got sooooooooo tired of alina having to ~remind herself~ that the darkling ~is bad, actually~ every single time she had an interaction with him
  • i think that's what i didn't like about alina, she reiterates over and over and over and i'm like move the fuck ON.
    it's just boring "character development" for her to still be having so many of the same doubts and fears as she was at the beginning of the series. we don't need to be reminded of these all the time anymore, we know she's considerate, thoughtful, and always doubting herself, and she needs to become less of the latter especially in order to turn into a more interesting character to read about. she needs to be dynamic and mutable, especially when we're inside her head all the time. reiterating the same things time and again is fairly realistic of an anxious person, especially one of her stressful and uncertain origins with as much as she has on her plate, but it doesn't exactly make for interesting progress in a book series. like i see what ur trying to do there bardugo and i think it's really cool in theory but it's simply not very compelling to read about. put me inside nikolai's mind instead or something. 😕
  • zzzzzzz genya/david canon status. she was stunning when she told him the truth of how he'd never wanted her when she wasn't broken, but then one pretty word from him made it all ok and they made out anyway. she was meant to be a lesbian and i will not forget, i will not forgive
  • i think the darkling's death could've been far less underwhelming (he didn't notice a knife coming for his heart even though he predicted just about everything else that happened perfectly? make it make sense) but his dying moments did kinda fuck me up so what the fuck do i know... i just think the darkling was a missed opportunity in general, his personality and insecurities could've been explored more deeply and become far more interesting
  • ymmv but i think mal should have stayed dead. or nikolai, though that would've destroyed my ass. someone important should've died. this book is very harry potter syndrome, actually it's worse than that because not even dumbledore dies
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