Shadow and Bone Grisha Trilogy Series 3 Books Collection Boxed Set by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm & Ruin and Rising) NETFLIX
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- Create Date：2021-04-17 13:51:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Leigh Bardugo
- ISBN：1510106456
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Reviews
Bryonys_books
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I enjoyed the world building of this series。 I thought the characters and magic were explained well and I wanted to unravel the mysteries surrounding the story。 I also thought the actual storyline was really well executed。 But I wasn’t a massive fan of Alina， and I think the side characters ended up being my favourite part of the series。 I did like the character arc Alina went through as to be honest there were many times I wasn’t a fan of hers。 I generally found her to be quite annoying and eas I enjoyed the world building of this series。 I thought the characters and magic were explained well and I wanted to unravel the mysteries surrounding the story。 I also thought the actual storyline was really well executed。 But I wasn’t a massive fan of Alina， and I think the side characters ended up being my favourite part of the series。 I did like the character arc Alina went through as to be honest there were many times I wasn’t a fan of hers。 I generally found her to be quite annoying and easy to defeat but I think she had matured some what by the end of the series。 Nikolai was by far my favourite of the series。 His quirky come backs and general love for himself just added some humour to the storyline。 I also liked the dynamics of the group in the final book。 They really came together as friends and created a powerful unit。 I also enjoyed the full circle the story underwent and how whilst magic is powerful it is not the only weapon that can be wielded and that a thirst for power will never gain the results you want。 I have read a lot of dark romances and I love a morally ambiguous male lead。 I really liked the darkling as a character but I’m not sure I can get behind the whole darklina trend。 I can see the appeal and the special bond they shared but I didn’t really rate them as a couple。 I also think Mal gets a lot more hate than he deserves， yeah he had his faults but who doesn’t！ I think he also underwent character growth through the series and turned out for the better。 Overall I enjoyed the series but I did find it boring at times。 I’ve heard a lot of people say that Six of Crows is better than Shadow and Bone so I am excited to start reading it！ 。。。more
Charlton
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I liked " The Shadow and Bone Trilogy"。 I thought it was entertaining and enjoyable。 A different kind of magic is used。 It isn't called magic but some kind of science。 I also liked the idea it was influenced by Russia， I think that was kind of cool。 I liked " The Shadow and Bone Trilogy"。 I thought it was entertaining and enjoyable。 A different kind of magic is used。 It isn't called magic but some kind of science。 I also liked the idea it was influenced by Russia， I think that was kind of cool。 。。。more
Amandeep Kaur
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Five stars because of DARKLING❤️ 。。
Ashley Harrell
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Amazing！This trilogy was one of my absolute favorites！ I would recommend to everyone who wants a game of thrones vibe but slightly more magical。
Solar Ghost
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Despite loving Alina and the world building these books felt flat to me。 The characters were well written and I enjoyed the dialogues。 Mal is not that bad。 The darkling had potential but wasn't it for me （except that "make me your villain" line， that was amazing）。 Nikolai is everything！ I liked the sturmhond story and he is just that charming。 Genya and Zoya are my faves （always stanning powerful bitches）。 The ending made sense and the story kind of asked for it but it's sad that Alina lost the Despite loving Alina and the world building these books felt flat to me。 The characters were well written and I enjoyed the dialogues。 Mal is not that bad。 The darkling had potential but wasn't it for me （except that "make me your villain" line， that was amazing）。 Nikolai is everything！ I liked the sturmhond story and he is just that charming。 Genya and Zoya are my faves （always stanning powerful bitches）。 The ending made sense and the story kind of asked for it but it's sad that Alina lost the power she learned to love after everything （shes happy anyways but still :（ ）。 Overall it felt like standard YA to me。 Chosen one with immense power + sexy psycopath villain with complementary power + trust worthy love triangle + self sacrifice in the end。Despite having an slow pace and being kind of boring at times， it's a 3。5 because of the world and magic system that we are presented， which are good and well described， and the lovable characters we find here。 My favourite part must be this exchange between the darkling and Alina:"Tell me Alina， has he claimed you yet？""Claimed me？ Like a peninsula？" 。。。more
Amina D'Anima
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Grisha 1 : J'ai bien aimé ce tome d'introduction， bien que j'aurais aimé en savoir + sur les Grishas et les voir un peu + à l'action， les derniers chapitres sont riches en révélation et c'est cette partie que j'ai apprécié le plus ！ Cependant， le rythme est assez inégal， c'est dommage mais ça reste dans l'ensemble une bonne lecture。 4/5Grisha 2 : J'ai moins aimé ce tome， il est très long à se mettre en place et le caractère d'Alina n'a pas aidé non plus XD Bien heureusement， à partir du moment o Grisha 1 : J'ai bien aimé ce tome d'introduction， bien que j'aurais aimé en savoir + sur les Grishas et les voir un peu + à l'action， les derniers chapitres sont riches en révélation et c'est cette partie que j'ai apprécié le plus ！ Cependant， le rythme est assez inégal， c'est dommage mais ça reste dans l'ensemble une bonne lecture。 4/5Grisha 2 : J'ai moins aimé ce tome， il est très long à se mettre en place et le caractère d'Alina n'a pas aidé non plus XD Bien heureusement， à partir du moment où un certain personnage apparaît ça a changé la donne！ ^^ （il est devenu mon perso masculin préféré du Grishaverse depuis <3）。 Les derniers chapitres étaient là aussi， intenses et ça a relancé mon intérêt pour l'histoire sinon c'était pas gagné XD 3/5Grisha nouvelle : Vu que c'était une nouvelle sur mon perso féminin préféré du Grishaverse j'étais toute joyeuse :D J'aimerais tellement en savoir encore + sur elle et aussi sur le Darkling tous les deux sont des persos super intéressants！ 5/5Grisha 3 : Clairement mon tome préféré des 3！！！ Même si les premiers chapitres j'ai eu très très peur de m'ennuyer :o tellement peur que je l'ai mis de côté un bon moment avant de m'y replonger récemment （càd après la sortie du 2e de trailer de la série netflix Shadow and Bone XD）。Le rythme de l'intrigue ici était carrément plus punchy que les 2 précédents : y a de l'action， de l'émotion， des révélations， des retournements de situation， de l'évolution au niveau des personnages 。。。 En bref， y avait tous les ingrédients pour que je passe un excellent moment de lecture。 5/5Maintenant j'ai qu'une hâte c'est :1） De visionner la série TV Netflix Shadow And Bone2） De lire Six of Crows3） De me procurer King of Scars 4） De me procurer tous les livres du Grishaverse en fait XD 。。。more
Brittany
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I thought these books were good， but could have been so much better。 I liked the Darkling in the first book and in the second book， but he kind of fizzled for me in the third book。 There were a few romances， but they fell kind of flat for me。 I feel like more time could have been spent with those。 Especially between Alina and Nikolai。 I think there was a missed opportunity there。 Could be that I just loved Nikolai so much。 I liked him more than Mal。 It wasn't that I dislike Mal， it is just that I thought these books were good， but could have been so much better。 I liked the Darkling in the first book and in the second book， but he kind of fizzled for me in the third book。 There were a few romances， but they fell kind of flat for me。 I feel like more time could have been spent with those。 Especially between Alina and Nikolai。 I think there was a missed opportunity there。 Could be that I just loved Nikolai so much。 I liked him more than Mal。 It wasn't that I dislike Mal， it is just that Nikolai's character was so charismatic and seemed like he had multiple layers to him。 Mal was more like you got what you saw。 This was still a good series and I didn't hate it。 I enjoyed it， I just felt there could have been more to it。 That is my opinion though。 I have spoked to many people who absolutely loved this series。 I have heard the Six of Crows is so much better。 Looking forward to reading that。 。。。more
Meg
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 These books are awesome as far as world building and supporting characters goes， but I'm sorry， Alina Starkov is boring。 She's not the most cliche of main characters， but she's not unique by any stretch of the imagination。 She's just ok。 I can root for her。 Her relationship with Mal， not so much。 I found it uninspiring at the best of times and toxic at the worst。 The entire second book felt pointless and basically full of pining between Mal and Alina and a lot of waiting for nothing。 The standou These books are awesome as far as world building and supporting characters goes， but I'm sorry， Alina Starkov is boring。 She's not the most cliche of main characters， but she's not unique by any stretch of the imagination。 She's just ok。 I can root for her。 Her relationship with Mal， not so much。 I found it uninspiring at the best of times and toxic at the worst。 The entire second book felt pointless and basically full of pining between Mal and Alina and a lot of waiting for nothing。 The standouts are the first book and the third book， both of which I enjoyed。 I am still frustrated that the book seemed to end with very little personal development on Alina's part， and that she got to end her journey by becoming exactly what she wanted。 Did she and Mal have to give up their powers？ Sure， but Mal didn't even want Alina to have those powers and Alina was on the fence about it。 I saw Alina develop leadership qualities throughout the series that I wish would have been made evident in that final chapter。 She's not the girl that stares listlessly out the window a the sunlight anymore， at least I thought she wasn't。 Maybe the third person epilogue was focused on showing her grief， and maybe that's okay， but I was hoping to see her interpersonal triumph。 Genya， David， Tolya， Tamar， Zoya and Nikolai are stand out supporting characters and are excellent。 。。。more
Sree Shalini
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loved loved loved it，。
Alle
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I loved every bit of it。 Would definitely recommend and reread when I reach the end of my to read list。
Romane
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That was a very good discover ！ Despite the hype， I wasn't disappointed。 My favorite character is Alina Starkov because even if people keep putting her on a pedestal， she always stays humble。 The Darkling is a good villain （sometimes he makes me think about Loki because he is not that bad）。 I had a great moment reading these 3 books by Leigh Bardugo。 That was a very good discover ！ Despite the hype， I wasn't disappointed。 My favorite character is Alina Starkov because even if people keep putting her on a pedestal， she always stays humble。 The Darkling is a good villain （sometimes he makes me think about Loki because he is not that bad）。 I had a great moment reading these 3 books by Leigh Bardugo。 。。。more
Alisa
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The Shadow and Bone Trilogy was just fantastic。 Looking back at my timeline of reading this series， the amount of time that it took for me to read these books was quite long。 However， with most series， I would lose interest in the concept or characters and would stop reading them or just move on to another book。 With the Shadow and Bone trilogy， I never lost interest。 As soon as I picked it up， I would get consumed and enveloped in the plot of it all。 Leigh Bardugo is a fantastic writer and the The Shadow and Bone Trilogy was just fantastic。 Looking back at my timeline of reading this series， the amount of time that it took for me to read these books was quite long。 However， with most series， I would lose interest in the concept or characters and would stop reading them or just move on to another book。 With the Shadow and Bone trilogy， I never lost interest。 As soon as I picked it up， I would get consumed and enveloped in the plot of it all。 Leigh Bardugo is a fantastic writer and the way that she described the GrishaVerse was so immersive and colorful。 The plot that she created was perfectly weaved throughout the three segments of the trilogy and there wasn't much of a disconnect between the different books。 I've heard of lots of complaints circling the conclusion of the trilogy and how Bardugo decided to draw the plot to a close。 However， I thought that the ending was quite fitting。 In my speculations concerning the end of the trilogy， I couldn't have come up with a better way to end the trilogy and I like how the trilogy almost ended full circle。 {Not going to elaborate on that but if you know， you know。}Overall， it was great and I loved it。 。。。more
Sakshi Ahuja
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Don't understand what the hype is with this series。 It was just。。。okay。 Not great， not bad。 The world-building is pretty interesting， but Leigh Bardugo could've done a lot more with the characters。 While reading the first book， I really thought every character had a lot of potential。 However， as the series goes on， Alina becomes extremely annoying， the Darkling is not given enough importance （or page time？） even after being THE MOST interesting character in the series， and Mal's character develo Don't understand what the hype is with this series。 It was just。。。okay。 Not great， not bad。 The world-building is pretty interesting， but Leigh Bardugo could've done a lot more with the characters。 While reading the first book， I really thought every character had a lot of potential。 However， as the series goes on， Alina becomes extremely annoying， the Darkling is not given enough importance （or page time？） even after being THE MOST interesting character in the series， and Mal's character development does not seem real。 （if there is even any development。。。）I never thought that the Darkling and Alina were a good fit for each other。 I loved Mal and Alina。 BUT THIS COULD'VE BEEN SO MUCH MORE。 Omg and Nikolai！！ His character really started taking shape in the last book but she chose to cut him out of the second half of the book？！ Nikolai was perhaps the only relief from Alina's constant doubt， self-pity， and sadness AND SHE CHOSE TO REMOVE HIM FROM HALF THE BOOK？ I guess I feel like I don't know the characters as well as I hoped I would at the beginning of the series。 Especially the Darkling。And， of course。 I was let down by the ending。 Ugh。Ending on a positive note though: Genya is beautiful， and so， so strong。 Her storyline was good。 。。。more
Francesca Caillaux
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First book 3。5/5Second 2。5/5Last 4/5
Olivia MacLachlan
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This is by far my all time favorite fantasy trilogy ever！ I loved the way the story developed over the three books and I loved the characters even more。 The thrills and changes of the story made it very compelling and left me always wanting more。 I actually cried when I finished it because I was so sad it was over。
Kenya Ramirez
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No Spoilers！ I think this had so much more potential。 I enjoyed the first and last book。 The second？ Was painful to get through。 I put it down so many times。 It lacked meaty details to help us enjoy the idle parts of the story。 The ending was good， it gave us a glimpse into their lives after the war。 Not my favorite read ever but definitely not the worst。
Leticia Biachi
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na minha opinião a trilogia só cresceu shadow and bone - 4siege and storm - 4，3ruin and rising - 4，7amei os personagens e suas interações que só cresceram e se desenvolveram cada vez maiso final foi fraco， meio água com açúcar não curti muito， mas vale muito a pena a experiência de ler essa trilogia， me apeguei ao universo
Susie
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I'm rounding a 3。5 up to 4 because I couldn't put down a single book in this trilogy。 I don't remember the last time I read a trilogy straight through， and it's only partially because the Netflix show is coming up。 I read this every chance I could。 But， I do have plenty of complaints about the literary quality/plot devices that were。。。 not cringey really， but eye-roll inducing for sure。 I'm rounding a 3。5 up to 4 because I couldn't put down a single book in this trilogy。 I don't remember the last time I read a trilogy straight through， and it's only partially because the Netflix show is coming up。 I read this every chance I could。 But， I do have plenty of complaints about the literary quality/plot devices that were。。。 not cringey really， but eye-roll inducing for sure。 。。。more
Kaiya
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So。 Good！ Read now if you haven't！ Quick read too （I had to study though so took longer than it could've）！！ Definitely one of my favourite series！！ So。 Good！ Read now if you haven't！ Quick read too （I had to study though so took longer than it could've）！！ Definitely one of my favourite series！！ 。。。more
Avokdo
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3，5
Yvette
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First book: Fascinating。 Bit whiny。 Best characters Baghra and The Darkling。 Second book: Tumbleweed。 Lots Whiny。 The only reason this book is alive is because of Nikolai。 Third book: Sort of like the first。 Still whiny。 Best characters Baghra and Nikolai。 The world is excellent， I'm just not into the main characters。 I prefer the second and third tier， the interesting ones， the clever ones。 The two main characters in this are just reactionary， and nothing has really changed from the beginning， First book: Fascinating。 Bit whiny。 Best characters Baghra and The Darkling。 Second book: Tumbleweed。 Lots Whiny。 The only reason this book is alive is because of Nikolai。 Third book: Sort of like the first。 Still whiny。 Best characters Baghra and Nikolai。 The world is excellent， I'm just not into the main characters。 I prefer the second and third tier， the interesting ones， the clever ones。 The two main characters in this are just reactionary， and nothing has really changed from the beginning， lots of angst and whining。 Yeah， they've gone through hell， but they didn't get interesting along the way， whereas other characters did。 。。。more
Jaime
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Reread in anticipation of the Shadow & Bone series coming to Netflix in April。 Still one of my favorite series of all time， but Six of Crows is still superior。
Jen
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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - 5 starsI finished Shadow and Bone - for maybe the 3rd time！ - on March 13th after starting it on March 11th。 I both read my edition of it and listened to the audiobook！ I'm going to increase my rating to the full five stars。I didn't ever laugh or cry， but I really think I might if I ever reread my edition of it！I was very glad both Mal and Alina escaped the Darkling in the end。 But I find myself wondering how long their freedom will last？ So I guess it's very g Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - 5 starsI finished Shadow and Bone - for maybe the 3rd time！ - on March 13th after starting it on March 11th。 I both read my edition of it and listened to the audiobook！ I'm going to increase my rating to the full five stars。I didn't ever laugh or cry， but I really think I might if I ever reread my edition of it！I was very glad both Mal and Alina escaped the Darkling in the end。 But I find myself wondering how long their freedom will last？ So I guess it's very good that I plan to read the next two books in this series this month！ ❤Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - CURRENTLY READINGI started Siege and Storm on March 14th。 I'm currently 25% through it and loving this story！ 。。。more
Lea
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overall the series was really good。 it had a disappointing end though
✨shiri✨
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A trilogy that was enjoyable at times， and that did have potential， but that just didn't do it for me。 I can't believe this trilogy and Six of Crows were written by the same author - it can't compare to Six of Crows！ I'm so excited to see the TV adaptation though - from what I've seen it's exactly how I imagined it in my head！ A trilogy that was enjoyable at times， and that did have potential， but that just didn't do it for me。 I can't believe this trilogy and Six of Crows were written by the same author - it can't compare to Six of Crows！ I'm so excited to see the TV adaptation though - from what I've seen it's exactly how I imagined it in my head！ 。。。more
Ibtesam Rahman
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SHADOW AND BONE Trilogy BY LEIGH BARDUGOAs you know， Netflix is coming up with the Shadow and Bone series and I needed to read the books first。 It has been an experience。 Thank you Sujana for buddy reading this with me。SHADOW AND BONEAlina is a mapmaker but after a torturous experience， she discovers her hidden powers as the Sun summoner。 Now， she must work with the most powerful Grisha- The Darkling to destroy the Fold。SIEGE AND STORMOoo， plenty of twists later， Alina is running away from the c SHADOW AND BONE Trilogy BY LEIGH BARDUGOAs you know， Netflix is coming up with the Shadow and Bone series and I needed to read the books first。 It has been an experience。 Thank you Sujana for buddy reading this with me。SHADOW AND BONEAlina is a mapmaker but after a torturous experience， she discovers her hidden powers as the Sun summoner。 Now， she must work with the most powerful Grisha- The Darkling to destroy the Fold。SIEGE AND STORMOoo， plenty of twists later， Alina is running away from the castle and gets caught again。 Mal helps her again to find an amplifier。 She finds the amplifier。 Becomes bit more powerful。RUIN AND RISINGAlina lost her powers。 Begin the quest for the third amplifier。 Fight the villain （ the name will be a spoiler）， and destroy the Fold。 Alina becomes a Saint。 THE END。The plot twists in all the books were freaking awesome。 There was plenty of character growth through out the books。 My favourite character was Nikolai and The Darkling。 If you look over the books in general， the plot is pretty good。 People keep telling me Six of crows is awesome， but since I haven't read that yet， I can't compare。 The stories are a mix of fantasy， adventure， mystery and romance。 The perfect amount of each。 However， the romance elements was almost negligible。 There was nothing intense about it。 Leigh's narration is stellar。 The moments and the plot might be bit of a cliche at times but never did the story felt boring or monotonous。 I was on my toes to finish the books。 The world building is pretty great。 There is a map in the beginning of the books。 The settings were amazing。 I wish the characters were bit less annoying。 Needless to say， I'm excited for the series to begin。 Overall， a good fantasy series with plenty of books to keep you occupied for atleast a month。 。。。more
Jason Gerringer
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So good ！Book 2 was my favorite， then book 3， then book 1。 I ‘m so glad the author gave us the ending that she did ！ This is worth the read ！ I rarely give out five stars but I think this series has earned it 。 I don’t often don’t finish a series but this one really sucked me in。
Cristinademmers
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One of my favorite trilogies！
Sally
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I’ve started reading this trilogy after receiving one of the worst news of my life， something that left me in desperate need of an escape， of removing my mind from some very dark thoughts。 And it worked， it was exactly what I needed: a new fantasy world far， far away from reality， with a distinct tone and engaging characters， but most importantly very predictable， a place where I could recognize much used tropes， guess the twists， and engage emotionally without much concern for the stakes of the I’ve started reading this trilogy after receiving one of the worst news of my life， something that left me in desperate need of an escape， of removing my mind from some very dark thoughts。 And it worked， it was exactly what I needed: a new fantasy world far， far away from reality， with a distinct tone and engaging characters， but most importantly very predictable， a place where I could recognize much used tropes， guess the twists， and engage emotionally without much concern for the stakes of the plot。 And I don’t mean these last words in a negative way， on the contrary: I believe the author is well versed in her fictional world， knows what kind of emotions and connections she sparks in her readers， and has a very fine grasp on her own characters and what she wants to say through them。 Nothing is new to a more accustomed young-adult fan， but there is still fun to have with the narrative itself。 Below I am going to write some of my ramblings on each book， thoughts I had while reading them。 Not a proper review， more a chaotic stream of consciousness， in line with my feelings on the trilogy itself。 You have been warned – beware the loquacious fangirl！Shadow and Bone – I have not laughed this much thanks to a book since… a while， I guess， not in scorn， but in utter delight at what I was reading。 Gosh， it was so good！ True perfection for my emotional state: it was fluid， with characters that embody tropes to the letter， from its protagonist to the love triangle， the hot best friend in love with a nerdish guy， the betrayals， the nastiness of the life at court， but mostly the reveal of Alina’s power – I was splitting my sides with laughter when Zoya utters that phrase in the tent， it was the moment I knew I had made the right choice。 There were things I did not particularly like， rushed decisions to move the story forward， the friction between the three main characters was… a bit too much typical and obvious， and the romance between Alina and the Darkling was fast， I turned a page and they were all over each other， I mean calm down you guys！ To be honest though， a couple of moments actually made me a bit turn on， but I think my loneliness in this particular time is stronger than usual – I just miss kissing sooo much， sigh。 That level of desire is unfair， think of us lonely souls！ But seriously， it was so similar to the Kylo Ren/Rey dynamic （two characters of the new Star Wars trilogy for the lucky unaware） that I couldn’t stop imagining JJ Abrams reading the book and thinking “This is just perfect for my story！”; later in the book I couldn’t imagine how anyone believed him to be suitable boyfriend material， he is clearly insane and not in a good， fun way – I know what it means to love a deranged character， trust me， I have my fair share of beloved， murdery nutcase。 Mal was ok for the most part， even if he had a couple of moments when he rambled at Alina things like “I have done everything for you， I sacrificed everything so you’re mine”” and that was just… so wrong， back off from her you over-possessive man。 Honestly， the ONLY ship worth rooting for was clearly Genya/Alina， I mean c’mon， they were perfect together， so much chemistry， the reactions from both of them later in the book were exciting， none of the boys could do the same for each of them！ Top ship for me， that’s it。Siege and Storm – a better book under many aspects: writing， construction of phrases， control over ambiences and places， and most important over characters’ relations。 But the main problem was that after a flying start the book sort of… stopped。 In the middle of the story nothing new actually happened， the characters didn’t evolve in significant ways and all the conflict between them was already there and simply repurposed in different manners， giving the impression of an halt， a long preparation for the final act。 And added to the aforementioned predictability of the plot it dampened a lot of my previous excitement， even if I recognized a more mature approach to the various tropes and toward the story itself。 The relationship between Mal and Alina was the embodiment of that: he had grown as a person， was a better character altogether， more grounded， and she was changed as well， more secure of her power and in what she wanted; but even if there were a lot of explanation and motives for the instability of the couple there was always an exaggeration， like a forcing of a specific narrative， especially in a cardinal scene meant to put them even more on the rocks。 And the introduction of Nikolai as a new potential lover did not help the situation， especially because he wasn’t believable as a valid “neverending love” for Alina – even if their banter was quite amusing and he was a very likable character; the choice was always going to be between Mal and the Darkling， and speaking of him… oh boy。 He was so terrible all the time， more toxic than in the first book， and he was something there; I understood the connection and the uniqueness of their bond and the particular nature of their gifts and the dichotomy between light and darkness， but dear， just NO！ The fact that you were similar to each other did not necessary mean that you were “meant to be”; with age I guess I’ve developed a sort of annoyance for these kind of relationship， and the fact that the author herself insists to push them together when there’s nothing solid between them it’s irritating， stop trying to make them happen， your own narrative does not support that！ She should be attracted to him just because he is hot， powerful and lonely？ Not nearly enough， sorry。 Even Nikolai was a better character than him， and he was a simple pawn to the Alina/Mal situation， so really， move aside please。 And to be clear， Genya was still a superior option for Alina than all the boys around her， especially after the scene on the ship – you could hear my broking heart， I mean c’mon！ Finger crossed for the final installment， because truly， who actually needs heterosexuality in this time and age？ （I’m delusional， I know， don’t worry）Ruin and Rising – I’ve always found the last book of a series an ungrateful undertaking， but this one ended the trilogy satisfactorily， uniting the good and the bad sides of the previous books: all the most important matters got a good closure， the writing improved again， there was no stasis in the plot and almost all the characters continued to grow and adapt to the narrative， fulfilling their roles without losing their edge; but also， many things were said over and over， like the author needed the extra scenes to made a point valid when there was no actual need， the predictability， stronger than before， and most importantly， the biggest error in the entire series for me， the wrong use of its many twists: almost all of them were easily guessed， but I became more and more frustrated the longer the author refused to disclose them and behaved like they were big revelations when seriously， it was obvious， why are you dragging this for so long？ The true nature of Mal was the most egregious one， it was unequivocal in the first book and became very straightforward with the start of this one， and the reveal happened at that point because it would mess up the characters the most， not when it was the right time for the plot。 But I liked it overall， the many typical tropes were used convincingly， the main relationship changed into something quite heartwarming and all the Grisha characters evolved with the story in a very fulfilling way – it was not difficult to become very fond of them all at the end。 The least successful aspect of the trilogy？ You guessed right， it was the Darkling: now that I’ve finished reading I can say without questions that his character was the only one who never changed in all the books; he acquired new powers， became more savage and creepy， but his nature was unaltered， his motives unchanging。 His relationship with Alina was the weakest link for the protagonist， and in this book the only moment the plot slowed down was during their conversations – even if the reveal of the name was hilarious to me， the comparison with Kylo/Rey was stronger and weirder （I guess JJ lent the trilogy to Rian Johnson）。 Also on the negative side， the world-building of the Grisha lore was lost to the neverending presence of the amplifiers， the MacGuffin of the story， and I hope the next duology can provide a new perspective on the magic itself。… Well， that was long。 Gosh。 。。。more
Lanita
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