A review by ruthbeadle
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I absolutely loved this book! I think this was by far my favorite of the series which is really impressive. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire book, and every twist and turn pleasantly surprised me. I also loved how I felt like we got moments of humor that felt appropriate given how tense the book was. I kinda want to reread it because I had so much fun reading it.
Also, the "I am ruination" scene had no right being that good. I really fell in love with all characters in this book and really appreciated their development (esp. Genya, Zoya, and David). I did not see the twist with Mal coming at all and I was stressed lol. I also loved the epilogue scene. It was so heartwarming to see Alina and Mal start over, and how they still see their friends. The scenes with Alina and the sun was so sad and beautiful ahhh. Also the Nikolai thing and Baghra and the Aleksander moments are so good. I am not a Darkling Stan but I adored that scene so much. I didn't realize how much I cared for all of these characters until this book. Honestly, perfect ending.
 
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