A review by diekolat
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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

5.0

Amazing. The twist
of the Keramzin tree hanging
made me put the book down because of how shocked I was. Alina's emotions torwards the Darkling because of their connection to each other made this series feel emotionally jarring for her. Alina's development throughout this series was beautifully written. I love how a (below) average person can develop into someone of such great power when driven by love.
Mal's devotion to Alina stemming from his love for the girl she used to be and growing to the girl she has become was such a beautiful way to show his development as well. The Darkling's death and send off showed Alina still had her mercy she thought she lost. Nikolai turning into a nichevo'ya was so necessary to develop the plot and to develop his character into one with more depth. I loved his dealing with his father and what he did to Genya, true king shit.
Alina has grown so much through the series and it makes me feel so happy seeing her happy in the end.
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