Siege and Storm

Tell me if you've heard this one before - when she is very young and doesn't know herself, a girl falls for a boy. To her, he is everything she is not. He is greater than her in every way she thinks matters - he's more beautiful, more charming, more capable and strong. She loves him so much that she shrinks herself to fit into his life and his world - until one day she can't. Her greatness is forced out of her and she swells. Her strength, her beauty, her absolute otherworldliness explodes for everyone to see. And finally, the boy realizes he loves her too. But she's grown so much that she doesn't fit into his world - which they now both realize is quite small - so instead of trying to fit into hers, all he can do is tell her how much he wishes she was small again. There are a few books that tackle this. The [b:Shatter Me 10429045 Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) Tahereh Mafi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1310649047l/10429045.SY75.jpg 15333458] series, despite its many flaws, handles this dynamic very well and calls it for what it is. More likely though, if you're a woman or socialized as one, you've lived it, or watched it happen to someone you know or care about. And Alina Starkov is no different. But man, it'd be nice to read a story for once where men are just a little better.Let's get it straight - Siege and Storm is pretty boring. Unlike [a:Tahereh Mafi 4637539 Tahereh Mafi https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1444252799p2/4637539.jpg], Leigh Bardugo makes sure her heroine goes through the work of becoming a true leader and is faithful to what it actually takes. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to have the ability or the interest in making it exciting. Much like Shadow and Bone, not a whole lot happens in this book, but it isn't nearly as compelling because we aren't propelled by the same kind of narrative. In the first book, we see Alina get the Cinderella treatment and then see her betrayed. We are with her on her emotional journey. Here we see Alina go from fugitive to political and military leader, as she returns to Ravka and the Little Palace having agreed to help the second-in-line Prince Nikolai with his bid for the throne in exchange for control of the Second Army. A classic narrative this is not. There isn't really a core conflict here either, its just Alina fumbling through boring strategy meetings and doing dumb things in order to get something exciting to happen. The emotional core of the story instead lies between her and Mal, her childhood best friend and now lover, which as it happens makes this book even more tiring.This story is about Alina and the Darkling. I'm not saying this because I think the Darkling is sexy or some fangirl shit like that. I'm saying this because the dynamic between these twin forces is what this series is built on. So why did they spend an entire book away from each other aside from force projections? I keep seeing these narratives of two people with god-like powers trying to do battle, and somehow there's always some douchebag on the sidelines trying to distract the girl because “This isn't you,” or “why can't things be like before?” or “Let's just run away.” Oh my god, dude, she's better and more important than you, get the fuck over it. What I'd give for a story where the normie boyfriend just says “What do you need from me?” and doesn't throw a fit when he realizes his girlfriend could crush him like a bug.Am I even still talking about this book? Were there things I liked about it? Of course. Like everyone, I like Nikolai. Mostly, I really liked the political and strategic elements he brought to the story. There was so much potential for this to be a great court drama but its just not followed through with. The final act was pretty exciting though, it was dark and violent and pulled no punches. I liked how Alina and the Darkling were finally brought together. The fact that their words to each other kind of sounded like marriage vows was not surprising, and reaffirms what I've been saying. But overall this installment was very dull, it expands on all of the lesser elements of the first book and very few of the better ones.

“Why won't you leave me alone?” I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to work at my desk.Long minutes passed. I didn't think he would answer. I even had time to hope he might have gone, until I felt his hand on my shoulder.“Then I'd be alone, too,” he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.”

I don't know how to write a review that will do this book justice. So I'm going to do something I haven't done yet and do a gif review!

Siege and Storm was just like Shadow and Bone where I flew through it.



This one took more than one sitting sadly because of work and life, but hey it gave me more time to savor it.

So this book starts off quite a bit after Shadow and Bone. Which is good because the characters have settled into their new roles and we get right to the action and plot. Alina is very different in this book. She is more determined and has a semblance of a plan to save Ravka.

For me, this trilogy is all about the Darkling and how much I love his characterization. Yeah he may be the “villain” but I also think his character is too complex to be categorized as such. After the huge role he played in Shadow and Bone there was not nearly enough of him in this story for my taste. Every time we did get him, I was all like:



I know everyone obsesses about the Darkling and I'm definitely one of them. Another aspect that made this second book so great was all the new characters we got to meet and get to know. Nikolai being one of them. I love how he is first revealed to be the Prince and how much mischief he can get up to. While I'm definitely pro Alina/Darkling, I had a few Nikolai/Alina moments where I was all:



I definitely cannot wait to start Ruin and Rising and see how Leigh Bardugo finishes up the trilogy, but at the same time I'm super worried about the emotional toil it will take. I have fallen so in love with this world and these characters that I'm scared to see what she has done with them in the final book.



I also have that small voice in the back of my head warning me about disappointment with final books in series (but it is just a super small voice because I know almost everyone loves this trilogy in its entirety).

Can I give it six stars? This was amazing.

First and foremost, if you like YA Fantasy and haven't read Shadow and Bone, you need to go to your nearest bookstore or grab your e-reader and buy it immediately. The Grisha trilogy is one of my favorite YA trilogies of all time. The Russian-based fantasy backdrop combined with steampunk elements, an intensely epic magic system and an antagonist that you'll love as much as you hate are just some of the reasons that I've fallen so deeply in love with this series.

I actually meant to review Siege and Storm ages ago, but at any rate, I loved this book. As you probably guessed from the above, it's the sequel to Shadow and Bone and it certainly did not disappoint. I loved the new characters, the romance is complicated and sometimes ugly and always wonderful, and to say it's an exciting read is an understatement.

I like the world and the variety of characters and the pacing...really everything except for the all-powerful-yet-carried-away-by-romance-and-the-whims-of-men-female-heroine.

This second book in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy starts with new hope and ends with the disaster you see coming. I don't know how anyone could read this one and not dive right into the third book.

The writing is good - doing exactly what I ask from a book - transporting me to another world full of different opportunities and challenges.

I had too many high hopes on this book after loving Shadow and Bone. But, I hate to say this but I was disappointed. Not that this book was bad or anything, just that it didn't live up to my expectations.

This started off well. Alina and Mal are trying to lie low in the Zemeni lands when the Darkling catches up to them. They are taken prisoner onboard a pirate ship. Only after the captain aids them in their escape do they realize that he is none other than the younger Ravkan prince Nikolai. His associates Tolya and Tamar are twins who believe in the saintly myth of the Sun Summoner and come along when all of them travel to Ravka to gain the support of the people against the Darkling. Most of the book happens after the gang reaches Ravka. A lot of the time is spent trying to win the allegiance of the various generals, dukes, the remaining Grisha and the common people. There is not much else happening here until the last chapter. The ending has some great action which ensures that I will obviously read the last book.

Ok.. so I liked Nikolai. He was smart and sassy and had just enough bad boy streak in him to make his character interesting. Alina looked a little more lost in this book but the ending made her all self sacrificing badass again. I still don't like Mal, probably even less so than before. He is just so much more possessive, insecure and sometimes a total downer. He just brings out the sadness and lack of confidence in Alina which I hate. I want really less of him in the next book but its obvious my wish is not gonna come true. But what I hope does happen is to see more of the Darkling. I really missed him in this book. He was hardly there but that's when the action happens. So, I really need more of him even though he's gone full on evil now. Ruin and Rising.... Here I come... You better be good!!!

3.5 - this started off so good but slowed down too much through the middle to the point i lost interest making the final few chapters not as exciting as they could've been. Im hopeful the 3rd book will redeem the trilogy for me

I know a lot of people say the darkling is the only reason they rate this book but for me it is Nikolai. He is so comedic ugh i love him

“We do the best we can,” I offered lamely.David looked at me then, the regret plain on his face. No matter what I said, we both knew the hard truth. We do our best. We try. And usually, it makes no difference at all.

I rarely read two books from the same series one right after the other (I think it happened only with Harry Potter and the Illuminae Files lol), but I SWEAR I'LL JUMP ON RUIN AND RISING IN A FEW DAYS BECAUSE I'M ADDICTED TO THIS SERIES, OK BYE.

My review is just going to be my reading update from about the 3/4 mark:

“Kind of the same as the first one. Almost nothing is happening, only a lot of waiting for something to happen. And Alina is just so confused why all the boys are so interested in her when she's so very plain.”

That pretty much sums it up.

Executive Summary: I struggled a lot with this book. The beginning kind of annoyed me, but then things picked up only to get bogged down again. I'm definitely not enjoying this as much as the sequel series. 2.5 stars

Audiobook: Lauren Fortgang does another good job. Her narration definitely helped keep me going during the slow parts. There is only so much that can be done with so much melodrama though.

Full Review
I'm still interested in the Netflix series coming out later this month, but I'm becoming less interested in the book series the further in I get. I find Mal pretty insufferable. I find the Darkling pretty cartoonish. I find Alina OK, but not particularly endearing.

I feel like not much actually happens in this book, and most of what does happens either fairly early on in the book, or right near the end. The rest is just a lot of waiting and melodrama.

I'm going to finish the series, but mostly since I already bought it. I'm hoping things pick up in the final book, and if not hopefully I enjoy the TV series more.