A review by beckyyreadss
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book due to the Netflix series that is being made. And I am really late to reading these . . . as always. This book disappointed the hell out of me. 

This book starts right where it ended. Alina is being hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold. Alina is trying to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy whilst keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past, or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a new power that is terrifying and a dangerous plan that will test the boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight these forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips into the Darkling’s game if forbidden magic and further away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power and the love she always thought would guide her.  

This book dragged. It was so disappointing. Mal drove me mental but so did Alina. I think they were just both too self-centre and this book made me understand why everyone obsesses over the Darkling, he made the book so much more interesting. I was so bored trying to wait for the big action or reveal, it was just a lot of Alina’s thoughts which aren’t interesting. I usually hate love triangles, but I felt like this book needed a love triangle, just to give it some complex and drama. I think the bit with Genya was completely rushed and I wanted more of a development with her or a hero arch or something. This book was lacking a lot and could have been chopped by 100 pages and it wouldn’t have missed anything.  

If this book was the first one of the series, I probably wouldn’t have carried on with the series, but I must finish the series just to see hopefully more of the tension between Alina and the Darkling. 
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