Siege and Storm Series: The Grisha #2 on June 4th 2013
Pages: 435
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads
Darkness never dies. Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can't outrun her past or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling's game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm. Siege and Storm is the second book in The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.
You know that feeling after you finish a book when it was so absolutely amazing and awesome but now you’ve reached the end and it’s over? And also when the ending is so “OMG!” that you just feel like you’re in emotional turmoil? That’s me. I’m still sitting here, reeling from… everything.
It has been more than a full day and 1) I still haven’t finished writing this review, 2) I haven’t read anything else since then (both from lack of time and also because this one was so good). So… I apologize for any crazy emotional comments in my review and any and all fangirling.
Alright. So, Siege and Storm picks up right where we left off. Alina and Mal are in hiding far away across the True Sea. The Darkling has survived the events of the previous book. Darkness never dies. That statement always sends shivers down my back. The main issues in this one is, what will happen to Ravka? What will happen to Alina with all this power she has? What is the Darkling planning? And the question all of you should ask if you haven’t read Siege yet is… Who is this Sturmhond character people keep talking about?
First of all, Leigh Bardugo’s writing in this sequel is simply amazing. I have no words. There was so much tension in this one that I couldn’t start reading it if I didn’t have a good chunk of time to devote because otherwise I’d have to stop and that made me really grumpy. I loved how her writing swept us up into all things Ravkan. We learn more about the Saints, the legends, the folklore and children’s stories in their history. I feel like we get a sense of the culture. I could easily imagine myself living in this world. Such was the power of her writing. Amazing.
The characters were outstanding. I was SO anxious about Alina the whole way through because in this book, she changes. She grows into herself and I love how she developed but there were glimpses of what she could turn into if all that power really got a grip on her. And that made me nervous. Because I came to really love Alina in this one. And I didn’t want power to change her! Then there’s Mal. <3 Oh, Mal. Let’s just say Leigh knows how to make me FEEL.
The Darkling’s presence was a lot smaller in this one, but somehow that felt completely right. And when he was, oh, it makes up for the times when he’s not there. Once again, I know that people love the Darkling and I kind of get the appeal but I save all my swoons for Mal. Or STURMHOND. Okay, so before I read Siege, I saw so many tweets from so many people who LOVE Sturmhond that you’d think he’d be built up so much that he’d disappoint. Ha! Did NOT disappoint. He’s my new favorite character! I don’t know how Leigh writes such striking characters but Sturmhond is fantastic. He has so many layers. He also made me laugh out loud while reading (and I was in public). The splash of his humor provided great balance to Siege as well.
I could go on and on about this book! The writing, the characters, the plot developments, everything was simply amazing. And the ending! Eeep!! I am in love with this series and I have absolutely no idea how I’ll survive waiting until 2014!
Ok, so I skimmed over your review because I am fail and haven’t read Shadow and Bone. The lines I did focus on? Yeah, I’m going to the library and getting Shadow today. Great job Wendy!
I can’t wait until I can finish Siege and Storm! I just started reading it last night and I’m super upset that I don’t have much free time. Maybe I’ll just spend all day Friday cranking it out…but no, I can’t do that. UGH! WHY?!