Title: Siege and Storm Author: Leigh Bardugo Published on: June 4 2013 Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure Author's website I Author's Blog Part of a series?: The Grish trilogy #2 Get a copy: Amazon I Barnes & Noble |
Darkness never dies. Alina and Mal are on the run. Hunted and haunted, but together at last, they can't outrun Alina's past or her destiny forever. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and he needs Alina to realise his dangerous plan. There are others who would like to use Alina's gift too. And as her power grows, somehow, she must choose between her country, her power, and her love - or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm. Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance. Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and Laini Taylor. -Goodreads
NOTE: MILD SPOILERS THAT I DON'T THINK WOULD REALLY DO ANY HARM. HOWEVER, READERS WHO HAVE NOT READ SIEGE AND STORM WILL BE SLIGHTLY CONFUSED.
First, do let me portray my feelings for Siege and Storm in a series of GIFs in three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the ending.
The beginning:
The middle:
Near the end:
The ending:
AND AFTERWARDS
I loved Shadow and Bone so much and so, I expected nothing less from Siege and Storm (BAD MISTAKE, DO NOT DO THAT). However, before I got to the ending, I was having a good time envisioning myself giving it a rating of 3 stars on Goodreads and posting a miserable book review on it, for reasons which I will tell you below. I didn't expect the ending to win me back, BUT IT DID!!...like most books do.
In Siege and Storm, the powers of Alina and the Darkling took on a whole new level. A whole bunch of new possibilities were opened up, and the plot grew more intense towards the end of the book. New characters that made the book all the more enjoyable and enthralling were introduced into the story. Siege and Storm was so wonderful and epic that if it was a bomb, it would blow up and leave nothing but ashes behind.
In Siege and Storm, the powers of Alina and the Darkling took on a whole new level. A whole bunch of new possibilities were opened up, and the plot grew more intense towards the end of the book. New characters that made the book all the more enjoyable and enthralling were introduced into the story. Siege and Storm was so wonderful and epic that if it was a bomb, it would blow up and leave nothing but ashes behind.
I'd like to say something about my choice of GIFs for the beginning and middle of the book. I don't know about anyone else, but I for one, felt bored. There were a few exciting and nerve-wracking scenes like when "Sturmhond" helped Alina to escape the Darkling, but I wasn't entertained. I had trouble getting through the beginning and middle of the book. They were so tedious with all the preparations and training for the Darkling, I (almost) didn't want to continue reading. There was also that thing with Mal and Alina which I FELT SO MAD AT. I seriously wanted to fling the book against the wall, throw up my hands in frustration, and have a fabulous Twitter rant. (Which I sort of did, as you can see. Well, not the book throwing part anyway.)
My feelings for Mal were extremely conflicted in the book, I wanted to climb up the highest building and howl at the top of my lungs. (Which I didn't) One minute I'd cheer for him enthusiastically and the next I wanted to rip said building off the ground and hurl it at him. If Bardugo wanted to create a dramatic ending by using our feelings for Mal, then yes, I could say she succeeded.
Anyway, getting back to the point. How did this book win me back? Well, I'll tell you.
THE ENDING. The fantabulous ending.
If you've read my past posts, you know how I feel about endings. They are powerful, and are able to change an initial star rating of 2/3 stars to 5. To authors, if you feel that your book lacks any world building, character development, or just anything that would downgrade your book, then make it up to the readers by writing a fascinating, mind-blowing ending that will sweep readers off the feet and feel bad for hating your book. If you don't feel like changing the whole plot of your book, that is.
I was in low spirits when the ending of Siege and Storm hit me with a loud smack in the face. Truth to be told, I did not see that coming. A storm of insults were already brewing in my mind when Alina did what she did to Mal, but oh my, when she kicked the Darkling's ass I got up and did a victory dance, with lots of whooping and screaming. It was completely unexpected, I was unprepared because I was too busy judging the beginning and middle of the book, and I was thrown off my sure footing. When I read the ending, my heart was racing, my eyes were bulging, and I probably looked like a freak (refer to baby GIF above).
All in all, I think I can't stress enough that this book is definitely worth the read. I would recommend it for everyone, and if you haven't read this series, then please, RUN OFF TO THE NEAREST BOOKSTORE AND PURCHASE IT. NOW. This trilogy has swiftly elbowed its way into my list of top five series/books.
THE FEELS. OH, THE FEELS.
I'm glad that this Siege and Storm, the second book in the Grisha trilogy, did not comply to the Guidelines of Writing a Second Book, which is to make the book as boring as possible and exclude any air-punching scenes. Although this book was tedious for the most part, it did not disappoint. I'm glad that I pushed through and if you put down the book due to extreme boringness and can't finish it, I suggest (or even plead) you to bear with it. Anyway, I'm now off to read the third and final (gasp) book and I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. (I just want Alina to kick the Darkling's ass one final time. Also, Bardugo, what about Mal??!?)
My rating for Siege and Storm: 94%
THE ENDING. The fantabulous ending.
If you've read my past posts, you know how I feel about endings. They are powerful, and are able to change an initial star rating of 2/3 stars to 5. To authors, if you feel that your book lacks any world building, character development, or just anything that would downgrade your book, then make it up to the readers by writing a fascinating, mind-blowing ending that will sweep readers off the feet and feel bad for hating your book. If you don't feel like changing the whole plot of your book, that is.
I was in low spirits when the ending of Siege and Storm hit me with a loud smack in the face. Truth to be told, I did not see that coming. A storm of insults were already brewing in my mind when Alina did what she did to Mal, but oh my, when she kicked the Darkling's ass I got up and did a victory dance, with lots of whooping and screaming. It was completely unexpected, I was unprepared because I was too busy judging the beginning and middle of the book, and I was thrown off my sure footing. When I read the ending, my heart was racing, my eyes were bulging, and I probably looked like a freak (refer to baby GIF above).
All in all, I think I can't stress enough that this book is definitely worth the read. I would recommend it for everyone, and if you haven't read this series, then please, RUN OFF TO THE NEAREST BOOKSTORE AND PURCHASE IT. NOW. This trilogy has swiftly elbowed its way into my list of top five series/books.
THE FEELS. OH, THE FEELS.
I'm glad that this Siege and Storm, the second book in the Grisha trilogy, did not comply to the Guidelines of Writing a Second Book, which is to make the book as boring as possible and exclude any air-punching scenes. Although this book was tedious for the most part, it did not disappoint. I'm glad that I pushed through and if you put down the book due to extreme boringness and can't finish it, I suggest (or even plead) you to bear with it. Anyway, I'm now off to read the third and final (gasp) book and I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. (I just want Alina to kick the Darkling's ass one final time. Also, Bardugo, what about Mal??!?)
My rating for Siege and Storm: 94%
I CAN FEEL THE TENSION SPARKING OFF THE THIRD BOOK.
...just one more word on this book. AMAZING COVER. K bye.
Do you have anything to say about this book, or even a book recommendation? Share your thoughts in the comments! I hope you have a great day, and happy reading!
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Previous review: How to Climb the Eiffel Tower by Elizabeth Hein
Add me as a friend on Goodreads! Alternatively, find me on Twitter, fangirl with me on Tumblr, and view my (AWESOME) typography on Instagram.
Previous review: How to Climb the Eiffel Tower by Elizabeth Hein