Ruin and Rising

“They had an ordinary life, full of ordinary things – if love can ever be called that.”

First things first.. BEWARE OF SPOILERS. There is no way I can review this book without revealing some very important parts of the story. And I definitely am not able to find words to describe my emotions while reading this book. I laughed, I felt desperate, I was proud and ultimately I sobbed – A LOT!!!! Both the happy and sad parts made me cry and cry and there was nothing I could do to stop my tears. The book is amazing, the writing is just brilliant and the characters – well I am very confident that I am not going to forget any of them for a long time to come.

“I wanted to believe anything so that I wouldn't have to face the future alone. The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.”

Alina is a bundle of contradictions – strong and weak, confident and lost, self sacrificing and selfish, desperate – everything that makes her what she is — a heroine worth remembering. I know I didn't like Mal until now, but this book definitely helped me understand him better. He finally finds his purpose and his journey through it is full of love, loss and sacrifice. Obviously, the fact that he gave up his life for Alina and Ravka helped in changing my feelings towards him.

“Na razrusha'ya. I am not ruined. E'ya razrushost. I am ruination.”

All of the others who choose to follow and believe in Alina are so wonderfully written that I can't even pick and choose whom I like better. Brave and faithful Tamar and Tolya, strong willed Genya, brilliant David, annoying Zoya, Nadia, Adrik, Misha, Baghra, Sergei, Stigg, Harshaw – every single one of them is memorable and it is their love and friendship and loyalty that make Alina what she is. Sankta Alina is incomplete without all of them.

“I'm used to being the center of attention wherever I go. I've been told I could charm the shoes off a racehorse midstride, and yet you seem impervious.”

Now coming to one of my favorites Nikolai whom I can't talk about enough. Nikolai is as usual on a charm offensive, whether he is plotting an escape or proposing to the one girl he can't get. But when he is transformed by the Darkling into a creature of darkness, it was just so heartbreaking. I cried and then I kept hoping that he would find his way back and I was delighted at the end when he became the King. His vulnerability and uncertainty towards the end was so unlike him that for a moment, I wished Alina would remain with him. But wishes don't always come true. All I can hope for is that in whichever universe this story occurs, he gets to marry for love rather than forging an alliance. And I am absolutely certain the King of Scars will bring prosperity to Ravka.

In this moment, he was just a boy – brilliant, blessed with too much power, burdened by eternity. “Aleksander”, I whispered. A boy's name, given up. Almost forgotten.

Here comes the DARKLING – I know he is a mass murderer, he tortures and manipulates and tries to break Alina every chance he gets, but his character is so well written in the realm of black and white and grey that I can't hate him without also loving him. He is full of darkness and greed and destruction but his other side of wanting a better world for Grisha, of wanting to be rid of the loneliness that has plagued him for eternity – this just makes me want him to get a little shot at happiness. May be if he is with Alina, he might become a better person. Maybe Alina would be able to bring out the boy from the creature of darkness. Now more than ever, I wish for a Grishaverse where Alina and Aleksander get their happily ever after.

“You might make me a better man.” “And you might make me a monster.”

I felt like i knew what was going to happen anway but :
MAL - i dont know what to say about him , exept i never really liked him
NIKOLAI- how dare you go all evil and i thought you werent coming back
ALINA - im glad
THE DARKLING (Aleksander) - Im !!!!

I adore this series very much and pray that they're all happy together and with each-other.
i
dont
want
it
to
end.
now on to six of crows !
love, bookishwolf

I might be feeling particularly tender at the moment, but the ending of this story struck me. Everything about it, in fact. People waving the banners of Ravka as they celebrate the destruction of the Fold. Mal and Alina's little life in the epilogue. And their grief - of their losses, but also of who they were up to that point. Of living on while something is gone within them, but still finding meaning in their future.

I guess it shouldn't be surprising that I feel this way, as this is a tender book. Which is quite something for a 420 page final installment in a fantasy adventure trilogy. There's battles and action sequences, of course, but they're largely tedious and uninteresting. There's a lot of travelling from one location to the next that made it difficult for me to stay focused. But the meat of the story is between Alina and Mal, as well as their friends (in some ways I feel like this was a precursor to the motley crew of Six of Crows, not as well developed or established, but a prototype nonetheless). There's also a smidge of something spiritual - Bardugo goes into some really fascinating gray areas with her magic system, which I thought was really impressive and creative.

Bardugo's writing is a lot richer here as well. Far more than Shadow and Bone, and especially Siege and Storm, this is an atmospheric, immersive book that takes time to notice the people in the background - the servants, the soldiers, children and commoners. She does a lot more to build a more intricate tapestry of Ravka - from its religious zealots, to its street peddlers. These asides detailing the places they pass through and people they encounter does a little bit to show Alina's change in priorities, though in some ways I felt like it was just padding out the page count. The conclusion - from the reveal about the amplifiers, to the final confrontation with the Darkling - I think was all very well done and well-earned.

This is a hard book to rate. Past the midpoint, it became too tedious to read for me to rate it more than three stars, but the ending is good. It's too bad this series came to be at the height of YA trilogy madness, because three books seems just really cumbersome for this story, and it makes sense that both follow-up stories in this world are duologies. I'm glad that Alina got her happy ending though - maybe not a fairytale one, and not even the “good for her” ending that I found myself craving at the end of the second book, but one that is real and meaningful. I've been thinking a lot about what it takes to be happy in a painful world, and I think Bardugo nailed it here.

A partner who loves you, work that involves helping and raising people up, and a rich benefactor. I think that pretty much sums it up.

I HAVE SO MANY FEELS.

This book was perfect. Perfect end to one of my favorite trilogies. Review to come.

REVIEW:

I've been looking forward to Ruin and Rising, the last book in The Grisha Trilogy, basically since the moment I finished reading Siege and Storm, so you can imagine my excitement when I finally got my hands on a copy. (If not, think: astronomical excitement).

My excitement, as it turns out, was totally merited because Ruin and Rising is an excellent read.

I always hope, when reading the end of a series, that it'll be exciting, have an ending that ties up all the loose ends and fits with the tone and messages of the series, that the climax will be appropriately epic and the characters will evolve, but not act unrealistically for their character.

Ruin and Rising did all of that and more.

I absolutely adore the time and detail Bardugo took to not only create an incredible world that feels entirely real, but delved into the history and mythology of the world she created and wove it intricately into the plot. I adore the characters to pieces (this is actually one of the few series where I love the antagonist and secondary love interest, The Darkling and Nikolai, more than I do the primary love interest, just because they were so epically awesome) and I honestly feel that the ending was perfect for the series. Closing the book, I felt happy and totally satisfied with the conclusion of one of my favorite YA Fantasy series ever.

The Grisha Trilogy is one that I'll continue to recommend to anyone who will listen. Ruin and Rising is an excellent conclusion to an incredible series, and I, for one, will be insta-buying anything and everything Leigh Bardugo writes in the future.

I love this trilogy so much. This was a such a great ending to an amazing trilogy. I loved each and every moment of this (well that isn't entirely true, there is one death I'm not at all happy about, but I was prepared for it nonetheless). Leigh Bardugo crafted this amazing world and these great intrigue characters. I really loved how characters were not good or evil. It was not black or white. She did a fantastic job showing all the grey areas and showing all the sides to humans.

I'm really sad this trilogy is over, but I'm also really happy to have read and loved it. This is probably now my favorite trilogy of all time (taking over Splintered and the Mara Dyer trilogies).

This last book was just amazing.
Bardugo wrote more explanation to her titles ans names in this book and it was a relief. I finally understood all the names and titles and it made it all better.
The first part of the book is frustrating. The apparat is holding Alina back and all I wanted was for him to d*e tbh!
Throughout the rest of the book the story is fast paced, excited and interestin. Nikolai's character is deep and charismatic. He's both funny, smart, curious and relatable. He really does want Alina to love him, even though it's a lost cause and due he says its politics: I'd doubt it.
The plot twist surrounding Mal made him a much better and interesting character. His talent for tracking suddenly made sense and my dislike for him dropped tremendously.
I loved seeing the snippets of the darkling, of his throne, of his life, of his emitions. And in the last battle between him and Alina I love it how she comments on how he reacts, on his humanity that felt so lost.
The darkling was an exceptional smart and cunning man and he could have been a great man, besides the fact that he wasn't.
I was really glad some of Alina's crew survived and some did not. I would have been mad if all had died or all had lived and the ‘after' chapter makes me so happy. It is clear how all of them keep in contact, keep laughing and sharing.
I'm going to miss them and I hope we will see them yet again in six of crows

❝“Na razrusha'ya. E'ya razrushost.” I am not ruined. I am ruination.❞

I could sum up my actual emotions like this: 😭💓😭💓😭💓😭.
I came to love this series even if everybody knows I never end up liking too-hyped books (well, the Illuminae Files and the Harry Potter series are the other exceptions lol), so I already feel a little bit nostalgic at the moment. To be honest, I've started to feel like it while I was reading the ending, just sayin' 😂

Anyway, I'd like to say that I sorta liked the ending because I think that's... Just right? But at the same time I feel like it's wrong too, because this isn't how I've wanted imagined it while reading the whole trilogy.
Let's consider that last year I've accidentally read a ranting status update about Mal, like he betrayed somebody or something like that, so I've spent the whole time dreading the moment he could have gone bad lol and what's the result? I feel incomplete now that I know he didn't 😂But what's messing the most with my heart is my poor baby. I feel like Nikolai deserved a lot more and I honestly hoped and shipped him hard with Alina... I even shipped him with Baghra because I loved all the teasing 😂😂😂🖤 it just breaks my heart because he deserves so much love omg JUST COME HERE AND TAKE ME AT THE GRAND PALACE, I CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY!Last but not least, the Darkling. In this very moment I honestly feel like a rock fell right on my chest. Partially quoting Alina, I feel like there's a shadow next to my heart when I think about him. I don't know, I've always felt something like a mix between pity, empathy and sympathy. I couldn't hate him even if I'd want to force myself to do it. Honestly? I would have hugged him tight 😢 I guess it's the charm of the bad boy + a kind of Florence Nightingale effect that hit me hard with Lord Voldemort, too. The feeling is just the same (even stronger at the moment), I just start to think about how they could have felt during their whole lives and.. Duh, I don't know. I'm feeling too emo right now 😂

The morale is: I'm so happy because it ended but at the same time I'm so sad for the same reason.
Dear Leigh, give me a new series about Nikolai because my whole body needs it (and my mental health too), thank you ❤️

I started the third and final book of the Shadow and Bone series right after I finished the second. I pretty much devoured it. The action was non stop. I just had to know how it all ended.

There were some twists, but after some thought, I should have known.

The ending was satisfying. I like how the after is the boy and the girl.

I'm looking forward to watching the Netflix series. I'm going to start it after I finish Six of Crows.

I challenge Leigh Bardugo to write an adult book. One without stupid teen girl tropes with all dudes loving one girl, gossipy clique shit, sass throwing, etc. She has the creativity, the world building here was great, some moments truly had a lot of weight. Basically it's time for the big battle, finding the last amplifier, winning over The Darkling and deciding the future of Ravka. A lot of work. I will have to repeat my previous reviews of this series; the world building shines. I wouldn't say there was too much added to the already existing things here, but the conclusion was pleasant and it felt like it was worth the wait, it satisfied. Though I will have to add that there wasn't too much of a surprise when it comes to Alina's future, we all knew she was going to end up the way she did. I wouldn't say any of it was too surprising, except for one plot twist, which was really just played for the drama. Otherwise... a lot of characters felt slightly wasted. Anyone Alina doesn't LOVE super much WILL die. A lot of focus is about how she feels, her internal workings and closest relationships while we have a bunch of interesting concepts. There is only one prominent Fabricator character in the time of the story who does ANYTHING, but we know how Alina feels about every single thing, in long form. Really, this series would have benefited from third person narrative. The first and last chapter in every book was in that form and it just felt so much better. It had so much possibility for an opened up world from different perspectives. Preferably ones that aren't bitter and whiny. Nikolai, for example is a much more interesting character whose issues are pushed to the background in a way. The foundation for something brilliant is there. It's in the author, I know she could do it. If she dared to stray from the extremely lucrative YA trope land. Which... she just did even more with Six of Crows, which I hated with passion. I don't really think she will ever leave behind the formula that worked so much for her when it came to fame and most probably money. Still, I would be extremely happy about it, because I believe she is worth more. Among the the rest of the genre, this one is a solid offering, though. I would say it is way above many of the others and for people who like YA or just simply don't dislike it as much as I do it would be a great choice. Russian settings are not that common, I think, the only other I could think of was [b:The Bear and the Nightingale 25489134 The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1) Katherine Arden https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470731420s/25489134.jpg 45268929], which I absolutely hated for having the most typical special gurl with no discipline or manners because she can be a jerk, she is magical. Alina is a bit better; she is bitter and grouchy, but she can care about people close to her. There is a lot more possibility in the world as well, so in a way I'm happy the author is trying to work with that, though as I said, Six of Crows was a gigantic miss for me. The Nikolai books are about to come out so I really hope we'll get more of this side of the universe. My gut feeling is that it will be some sort of a romance, though, which is tired and boring and I am over it. I'll give it a go, though, for sure as he deserves more than what he got here. I would say this series was disappointing. I still like it, I love some elements, but it's very far from a perfect score. Have a good night and rise above all the shit!

Allez dan. Het is gedaan. Het einde was, da's toch iets, niet meteen voorspelbaar. Ik had het misschien liever anders gezien, maar bon, ik kan er meer leven.

Er zit gewoon heel erg weinig verhaal in de hele reeks. Personages komen en gaan, groepen mensen gaan van plaats A naar plaats B. Er wordt wat spanning opgebouwd, mensen worden gevangen genomen, mensen worden weer bevrijd, en ze gaan van B naar C. Dingen gebeuren aan twee snelheden in de reeks: ofwel enorm gezapig, met heelder hoofdstukken waar quasi niets gebeurt, ofwel veel te snel. Dat laatste in het algemeen als er gevochten wordt — ik heb de indruk dat Bardugo dat gelijk niet boeiend kan schrijven en zich dus maar snel van af maakt.

Het spijtige is dat véél van de personages interessante conflicten meedragen, en dat er dus veel meer in zou kunnen gezeten hebben. Helaas. Oppervlakkig.

Maar ik zie wel waarom ze er een serie op Netflix van gemaakt hebben. Het zou er spectaculair kunnen uitzien.

Meh, toch wel een vergeetbare trilogie dit. Ik had het boek nog maar net uit en ik wist al maar half niet meer wat er was gebeurd.Over Mal, mijn vermoeden bleek te kloppen, maar dit maakte me nog steeds geen fan van dit personage, zijn gedrag en zogezegde emoties.Het einde vond ik wel passend, dat de Darkling sterft en Alina terug gewoon is. Maar ik miste toch wat meer diepgang. Zal de YoungAdult zijn waarschijnlijk en hunker ik meer naar de goed uitgewerkte Fantasy ;-)Ondanks het lauwwarme gevoel bij deze trilogie ben ik toch nieuwsgierig naar de overige verhalen in deze wereld, zoals [b:Six of Crows 23437156 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) Leigh Bardugo https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459349344l/23437156.SY75.jpg 42077459] dat zo'n enorm grote schare fans heeft. Dus waarschijnlijk keer ik ooit wel eens terug naar Ravka.

3.75/5 ⭐
Meh. It was my 2nd favorite out of the trilogy after Shadow and Bone obviously. I didn't really ship Alina with any of the love interests for different reasons. The Darkling I shouldn't even have to explain why I don't ship. Mal just wasn't giving for some reason. He only liked her when she didn't have powers. He was only satisfied when she didn't have them. I liked Nikolai but not with Alina. I can't really explain why I don't ship but I just don't ok? Anyway, I didn't really care for the ending. There are also too many characters on the journey thing. Like why are we bringing a whole cat on this hunt? Either I'm dumb or the whole having to kill Mal as the amplifier didn't make sense. Like why doesn't she just touch him when she needs power? Am I stupid? I also didn't care for any of the character deaths. She killed off the characters I cared the least about. Like don't be shy, kill off someone important.

Somewhere between 3.5 and 3.75?


Could have easily been 4 stars if it ended differently. This one was a quick read and very easy to get into. I just wish the love triangle had resolved differently. I apparently was rooting for the wrong team :[ Rounded down my review because I'm a little bummed about the ending lol

First and maybe last review I will ever do.
Because this is YA one character had, just had to revive. Oh and the character anti development. We've basically ended up exactly where we left off but with more money and friends. Yes friends, this is what saves this book, and the writing. I would also say that Alina does as well cause unlike the majority I actually liked her character.