A review by trintrin
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous mysterious 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

5.0

Easily my favourite of the three. I loved Mal so much more in this one
and I'm glad I don't resent Alina ending up with him.

I've read Crooked Kingdom before I read this so I knew Nikolai would survive and that he is the King of Scars but goshhh I genuinely feared for his life when that happened. He is truly the best character that came out of this series and I can't wait to read King of Scars.

I liked the conclusion for the most part. The way the amplifiers worked, the Soldat Sol, the end of the Fold and the Darkling, Alina losing her powers and living a peaceful life away from the crown, Nikolai, Genya, David, and Zoya being the leaders of the future -- all that was great. But there was one part that I didn't really buy. One part that made use of my least favourite trope in the world. The Resurrection Trope. As much as I liked Malina in this book I still wish Mal either stayed dead or didn't have to die in the first place.

But apart from that, a pretty solid, fast-paced ending to the series imo. Leigh's writing is beautiful as always. I would've knocked some points off for the resurrection trope but since I couldn't put this book down and since it made me love Mal though I still wish he were dead, I have to give it a 5. And I can't believe I'm saying this but I miss the Darkling already.


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