A review by oxfordcommas91
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

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

3.0

Unfortunately this one was an underwhelming and disappointing way to round out the Shadow and Bone trilogy. This series really peaked with the second book and I wish that the author would have given the characters a more satisfying story arc throughout.
I really disliked Mal and Alina's love story throughout this last installment. It felt forced - they had absolutely zero chemistry at all and would have been better off staying friends. Alina would have been much better suited to Nikolai in the end and Bardugo's refusal to kill off any of the important characters also frustrated me.
The beginning of this book was so slow and while it picked up as it went along, I found myself hoping for it to just end rather than being excited to reach the climax and the "final battle" as I should have with a series of this nature. 
A 3 star rating feels generous but I don't think it deserves worse - it just wasn't the right finale in my mind for these characters. 
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