Scan barcode
A review by madeliney
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
this is the best book in the trilogy, by far. it kept my interest for the entire day today, which says a lot. Leigh's writing clearly improved, as did her characterization of some of these characters. there are still some messy plot points, but i can see the author was trying her best to wrap things up in a way that made sense.
the Darkling takes quite a backseat in this book, and i could be convinced that more of his presence could be warranted to really drive home the central tension of this story; he is an AMAZING antagonist, and i feel like there was more room for him here (and i think the author knew that too, hence the prequel graphic novel that came out about him). on the other hand, i liked the direction that the author took Mal in much more than in the second book. i like the band of characters here, and i am excited to read King of Scars and stay with Nikolai for longer -- he truly is one of the best characters out of this trilogy. one lingering complaint i have about this story as a whole though, is how helpless Alina seems to be the majority of the time. i wanted to see her kick some more ass and not need to be saved by Mal and Friends as much. i think that the author definitely improves on characterization and giving everyone a chance to be strong and to shine in her future writing endeavors.
i am surprised to find that i actually liked the ending, but i am not as surprised at it as some other reviews i read -- it is obvious that the love triangle is not really a love triangle, fellow readers. there is literally no chemistry between Alina and Nikolai, and this is even remarked upon in the narrative! Mal was always going to be the end game, and i think it was pulled off in a way that made sense and felt right. additionally, i did not see the conclusion with the amplifiers coming. i was pleasantly surprised at that twist.
the ending withMal and Alina taking over the orphanage , and all of the other little epilogue pieces we learn, felt like a good ending for them. i was so glad the author salvaged this one after the disappointment that was Siege and Storm, even if it wasn't a complete home-run, i think this was a successful ending to this particular branch of the Grishaverse.
the Darkling takes quite a backseat in this book, and i could be convinced that more of his presence could be warranted to really drive home the central tension of this story; he is an AMAZING antagonist, and i feel like there was more room for him here (and i think the author knew that too, hence the prequel graphic novel that came out about him). on the other hand, i liked the direction that the author took Mal in much more than in the second book. i like the band of characters here, and i am excited to read King of Scars and stay with Nikolai for longer -- he truly is one of the best characters out of this trilogy. one lingering complaint i have about this story as a whole though, is how helpless Alina seems to be the majority of the time. i wanted to see her kick some more ass and not need to be saved by Mal and Friends as much. i think that the author definitely improves on characterization and giving everyone a chance to be strong and to shine in her future writing endeavors.
i am surprised to find that i actually liked the ending, but i am not as surprised at it as some other reviews i read -- it is obvious that the love triangle is not really a love triangle, fellow readers. there is literally no chemistry between Alina and Nikolai, and this is even remarked upon in the narrative! Mal was always going to be the end game, and i think it was pulled off in a way that made sense and felt right. additionally, i did not see the conclusion with the amplifiers coming. i was pleasantly surprised at that twist.
the ending with