A review by claudiamacpherson
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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

3.5

I didn’t set my expectations very high for this middle child of Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy, because so many people seemed to agree that it’s the worst of the three. Maybe that helped, but I liked it nearly as well as the first book, and probably more than the series’ conclusion, Ruin and Rising (review to come). I had the same complaint with this book as I did with the first: everything felt a little rushed, which took away from the emotional and dramatic impact of the events. I do have to agree with most fans that the introduction of the new characters—namely Nikolai, Tolya, and Tamar—was a great improvement. Nikolai in particular is such a fun character, and I love the attitude and humor he brought to the story (God knows Alina and Mal need it).

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending): Cliffhanger-y again, which is to be expected from the second book in a trilogy.

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