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A review by gothicmoon
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I'm glad Bardugo chose to continue this world in duologies.
Like in many other trilogies, the middle book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy suffers a curse: it serves only to connect the first and third. Nothing happens in this book. It's so boring.
I thought that putting Mal and Alina together at the end of the first book rather than at the last possible minute to culminate both plot and romance was revolutionary - except they only got together because the worst was yet to come. Their relationship flounders and nearly drowns several times in this book, all because either Mal or Alina simply refused to throw in a freaking lifebuoy. Most frustratingly though, a lot times Alina was willing to acquiesce just to go back to their happy times in the beginning of the book - but at the cost of her own health. Mal takes a very unlikeable turn in this novel. Like most first-person fantasy, this series could benefit significantly from varying POVs.
Nikolai is great, but I hope his presence doesn't interfere with killing the tsarist regiment, if that's still happening.
Like in many other trilogies, the middle book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy suffers a curse: it serves only to connect the first and third. Nothing happens in this book. It's so boring.
I thought that putting Mal and Alina together at the end of the first book rather than at the last possible minute to culminate both plot and romance was revolutionary - except they only got together because the worst was yet to come. Their relationship flounders and nearly drowns several times in this book, all because either Mal or Alina simply refused to throw in a freaking lifebuoy. Most frustratingly though, a lot times Alina was willing to acquiesce just to go back to their happy times in the beginning of the book - but at the cost of her own health. Mal takes a very unlikeable turn in this novel. Like most first-person fantasy, this series could benefit significantly from varying POVs.
Nikolai is great, but I hope his presence doesn't interfere with killing the tsarist regiment, if that's still happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Adult/minor relationship