Ruin and Rising

***WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS SLIGHTLY SLIGHTLY SLIGHTLY SPOILERY***Let’s start this show off by dealing with the creepy Rasputin-priest-Asparant situation. Oh my goodness, I do NOT know about the rest of you but I was so ready to be done with him by the time this book started. He is absolutely horrid and unbearable, which, of course, means that he’s been written and rendered perfectly for the Rasputin-parallel he draws into focus (or at least, that’s how I’ve seen him from the start). I’m glad this book didn’t keep him in the forefront for too long, instead bringing him in at the perfect moments to ruin your good mood. He’s slipperier than a dead fish (and not nearly half as pleasant).Of course, I probably should have actually started with Alina. Man, does she develop in this book! This is probably her strongest book, though I think her development was set up nicely throughout Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm. But this is the book where stuff really hits the fan, and the strain on Alina takes its toll in full force. This is the book where I felt her character is fully flushed out - I understood her so well that I felt at times I was her. I began to think like her, and I felt like this strong connection allowed me to understand her choices and follow her logic so that as the plot thickened I kept up and felt good about what was going on (there were no “plot cop outs” in this book, at least in my estimation).And Genya! Oh my goodness, how I freaking LOVE this newer, “ruined and ruinous” version of Genya. It’s like she’s been reborn. I have to say, without giving away anything, that I fell in love with her the second she stood before the king. I know I probably shouldn’t feel that way, since what she did was pretty freaking awful, but come on! It was also pretty freaking awesome, and I couldn’t help but feel like spitting in his face myself, just for good measure. He really did get what he deserved.Then there’s Baghra. The woman with so many secrets. I’ve always had a soft spot for her, and I think she shines brightest - like so many of the characters - in Ruin and Rising. It’s good for everyone to have someone around to keep them humble (and people as powerful as Alina probably need two or three), and Baghra is just so good at that. She literally does not care when anyone accomplishes anything, and she can cut you down to size with a few well-chosen words. Plus, this book really fleshes out her servant-boy, Misha, and I think the two of them make a killer (and hilarious) pair.Okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to get spoilery, but I can’t hold it in anymore. OH MY GOODNESS WHAT THE EFF DARKLING, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO NIKOLAI?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!? HOW COULD YOU HOW COULD YOU HOW FREAKING COULD YOU?!?!?! Oh, I guess that wasn’t that spoilery, but I came pretty close. Whew. It feels good to get that off of my chest. In all seriousness, I, like many other readers, have a pretty great love-hate relationship with The Darkling, and I’m usually pretty excited to see what he’ll do next (he’s a pretty awesome villain to have around complicating everything with his quick wit, glorious evil good looks, and backstory shrouded in mystery and intrigue). But what he did to Nikolai… I don’t know if I can ever really forgive him for that. That was heart wrenching. He couldn’t have torn me in two faster if he were an actual heartrender instead of The Darkling. I really could not handle it.One thing I did love about The Darkling in this book is how much of that yummy backstory we get. I think it’s great (and true to life) that Bardugo paints The Darkling as someone who is both evil and tragic and idealistic and messed-up and about a hundred other things all at once.“How could he be so cruel and still so human?”Spot on, Alina, spot on. It was gut-shattering to see The Darkling’s past unfold and be brought into the harsh realities of why he is the way he is, but it was also realistic. People are rarely as black and white as we want them to be. The Darkling had vulnerabilities and even a few traits I would describe as hesitantly good, but in the end he made bad choices that led to his own downfall (and I’m not just referring to his fate here, I’m talking the downfall of his morality and his own core of goodness). He destroyed himself piece by piece, and as much as you want to blame him and him alone much of the time, there are so many indicators that it’s not entirely his fault that he ended up the way he is. There are so many factors that go into making a person who they are, and he’s no different (though at times that’s easy to forget when you want to stab him in the eyes and then the heart for all the horrific things he’s done).And say what you will, but I liked how dark this book - really, this whole series - was. It’s gritty and there are real things at stake, and that means a lot of good people die. Not everyone gets what they deserve. And sure, there was still a certain amount of protagonist protection going on (but, seriously, who actually wants their favorite characters or their beloved creations to die - you know, besides, GRRM), but I think it’s safe to say that most readers prefer death and loss of second-tier characters, or, at most, we’ll tolerate one main character per series (I’m looking at you, John Green). She does a great job of amping up the tension and anticipation, and making sure that by the final moments you have no idea who is going to live or die anymore. That’s beautiful (even though it’s also, in the moment, pretty infuriating).Basically, this book was perfect. Seriously, if I thought Siege and Storm was a 5 star book, then Ruin and Rising is like a 15 star book. It’s that good. The plot is well-planned, with no gaping holes, and it’s a climax that doesn’t leave you rolling your eyes over how predictable and dumb this point or that point was. Plus, it’s just genuinely thrilling, and I thought the ending was absolutely PERFECT. I want to curl up and live in that ever after.If you haven’t already started the Grisha Trilogy then consider this your last warning: you MUST read these books. Don’t be like me, constantly pushing them further down your wishlist. Go forth and read, read, read, because these books are freaking wonderful....On a side note, do the Volcra remind anyone else of fellbeasts (the Nazgul’s flying steeds) in Lord of the Rings?

Grisha Series overall rating: 4.25 StarsRise and Ruin: 4.5 StarsSiege and Storm: 4.0 StarsShadow and Bone: 4.0 Stars****Possible Spoilers for Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm********Possible Minor Spoilers for Rise and Ruin*****Completing trilogies or any series is a love/hate thing. I’m always excited to see how everything plays out but at the same time I’m sad to leave the characters and the world behind. At the end of a series all the what if’s and possibilities have ended and sometimes it is fantastic how it all plays out and other times it leaves you feeling hollow inside and you need to curl up a hold something fluffy.I had an extremely strong emotional reaction to completion of this series. By the end of this book my feelings had been all over the place. Overall (I’m about at an 80:20 split on this) I think the ending mostly makes sense, sure it could have went a few ways but ultimately I think this was the way it should conclude. That isn't to say it was perfect, there was definitely some stuff in the final battle I question but I loved the presentation so today I'm just going to let it go. There were absolutely beautiful moments, horrifying moments, hilarious moments and a few characters that really surprised me with how touching they could be.Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl they grew up together, joined an army together and searched the world for mythical magic creatures together. For me this has always been a story about Alina and Mal. They have this huge history and something that has tied them together since childhood. Mal got on my nerves a little in Siege and Storm as has a hard time coming to grips with who he is with respect to the new and powerful Alina. He wants to be important in her life so much and he felt like he was losing her to the power inside of her. NO MORE Mal was incredible in this book. HE IS the captain of Alina’s guard and HE WILL do whatever is necessary to protect her.“…Alina, to stay focused on what matters. I can’t do that if…” He let out a long breath. “You were meant for more than me, and I’ll die fighting to give that to you. But please don’t ask me to pretend it’s easy.”Oh Mal tugged on so many of my heartstrings in this book. He became the definition of Quixotic and I loved him all the more for it. While the Darkling and Nikolai both want Alina for her power, Mal loves Alina for the girl she was and the woman she has become. He was my favorite character of this book.“You are all I’ve ever wanted,” he said. “You are the whole of my heart.”Besides the touching moments there are many nail biting ones as well. A few characters get the chance to redeem themselves and while I’d already forgiven Genya for her betrayals, I especially liked how her arc played out. Also Zoya a Grisha I really despised through most of the series became more likeable or at least a little more understandable; she was still spunky and funny.“Maybe you’re hungry,” said Zoya. “I always get mean when I’m hungry.”“Are you hungry all the time?” asked Harshaw.“You haven’t seen me mean. When you do, you’ll require a very big hanky.”He snorted. “To dry my tears?”“To staunch the bleeding.”The Men – Well I already talked about how much I loved Mal this book but Nikolai as well was in true form and as always knows how to make an entrance and an impression. Ravka could not ask for a better king and his part was well written indeed. He is the comic relief that this story needed and as always he often steals the show when he is on the page.“That’s it? No sage words? No dire warnings?”“Saints, Alina. I hope you weren’t looking to me to be the voice of reason. I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret.”I know the Darkling has this huge following of people that love him. I, on the other hand, love to hate him. I always preferred the antics of Nikolai a.k.a. the ‘Snarkling’ to the Darkling. His need for Alina bordered on creepy for me and he is the bad guy. Can he be redeemed, is Alina his salvation???“Do you think it would be any different with your tracker beside you? With that Lantsov pup?”“Yes,” I said simply.“Because you would be the strong one?”“Because they’re better men than you.”“You might make me a better man.”“And you might make me a monster.”There are some things that played out so much differently than I expected and others that happened like I thought they would. The Questions about Morozova and the amplifiers are answered, some more of the Darkling’s history was explained. Sacrifices are made, resolutions came for almost all of the arcs and the very last chapter left me in tears because I couldn’t think of a more appropriate ending to the story.

I read this series with my daughter and we loved every book. Ruin and Rising does a great job at tying everything together and wrapping it all up in a very satisfying way, providing tons of pay-off for the exquisite world-building that took place in the first 2 books. We'll definitely be checking out other books by Leigh Bardugo.

Amei

Llegó antes de lo esperado, el producto se encontraba en perfectas condiciones y superó mis expectativas.

Actual Rating: 4.5‘”Beauty was your armour. Fragile stuff, all show. But what’s inside you? That’s steel. It’s brave and unbreakable. And it doesn’t need fixing.”’‘Ruin And Rising’ is definitely a book that will keep most readers on their toes. If you’ve read the previous books in the series then, like me, surely you’ll find yourself uncertain over exactly how things will end. Although I adore YA fantasy in general when you reach a final book as a reader you have a sense that certain characters will triumph and whatever big bad is at play will find themselves vanquished. With this book I honestly wasn’t sure whether that would be the case. ‘Siege And Storm’ left everyone in pretty intense danger and had the sort of ending that left me immensely glad that I didn’t have to wait for book three.Everything that I loved in the previous books continued to thrill me in this final book in the trilogy. The characters are just divine and Leigh Bardugo certainly doesn’t shy away from making them suffer. Everybody is so complex and well crafted; everybody has their own faults and weaknesses. There were so many events that caught me off guard; so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. From the very first page the sense of danger was strong and it never really let up.There were some moments in this novel that absolutely blew me away. One of my personal highlights was Baghara sharing her story at last. For a grouchy old woman she’s one hell of a fascinating individual. You uncover more of the Darkling’s backstory too; although surely I’m not alone in wanting his whole story in print? Even with everything that you learn I still feel that there’s more of his tale to be told; his history is one that I’m desperate to read.Danger is present throughout this book and it’s depictions of war are certainly brutally realistic ones. Suffering is everywhere and no one is safe. As a reader it feels risky to find yourself caring for characters because you honestly don’t know whether or not they’ll survive. There are some chilling moments that I doubt will shift from my mind anytime soon yet some truly heart warming ones that made me melt also. I definitely adore Leigh Bardugo’s writing and can’t wait to devour more of it.Truthfully the only reason that I’ve made this 4.5 stars rather than a full 5 is because there was a moment that, perhaps, felt a little too easy. There was so much that I loved that I want to stick to five stars but I can’t get past my questions over this one, vital moment. And yes it pains me to say that! Regardless of that fact I still whole heartedly recommend this series and know that I’ll also be picking up the rest of the Grisha verse books over the course of the year. I can’t wait to learn more of this lands’ glorious tales and meet more of the author’s incredible characters.

A beautiful ending to the trilogy, I truly enjoyed the book.The relation between the characters were touching, i also loved their development.Plus, I appreciated the plotline