Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal Signed Copy
Review by: Jenn

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

4 stars out of 5 stars

I loved going back into this world and learning what happened after the showdown at the end of Shadow and Bone. I was curious to see how Alina and Mal were faring and even my beloved Darkling.

• Leigh Bardugo and her world building, it's so captivating. I can easily picture the world of Ravka as she describes. 
• Alina and Mal. I was curious to see what Alina and Mal had gotten up to up since Shadow and Bone. With this book, I still wasn’t a huge fan of Mal. There were certain parts where I liked how he spoke up what he and Alina were thinking and avoiding to talk about. It made him the honest and good person he is supposed to be. But how he then acted towards Alina, as if it's her fault that she was the Sun Summoner and he was just a soldier, continue to turn me off of him. That’s not to say I liked how Alina reacted to his decision. 
• The new characters mentioned, the privateer and a certain prince, were some of my favorite part of the book. I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure we could trust them but I slowly turn to their side.
• The Darkling! For a second, I was worried for his fate and hoped he would be okay. Of course, reading that he got even more powerful sort of made me feel bad for Alina. I’m sad that I didn’t get more time with him, to be honest. All the time he is mentioned and who appears, I was salivating and eagerly reading. I am hooked on his story and I wanted more time with him. That showdown he had with Alina, I NEED to know what really happened and what happens next.

I think this reviews kind of shows you how much I really care about The Darkling and his story. While I like our protagonist, Alina, the way that Leigh Bardugo wrote this trilogy, I am more curious about what The Darkling will do and what he is thinking than what happens with Mal. And even at times with Alina. I don’t know if that was what Leigh was trying to accomplish, but I can’t help it. Time for Ruin and Rising.

Review: Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow & Bone (The Grisha #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal Signed Copy
Review by: Jenn

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

4 stars out of 5 stars

How can I have waited so long to start the Grishas Trilogy?! I have no one to blame but myself but still! I picked up Shadow and Bone because one of my reading goals this year was to read some of my “old” books from my shelves. And boy, am I excited I FINALLY picked it.

Leigh Bardugo created a world that reads so real and scary. The characters, complexed and three-dimensional. The villain! It been a while, since Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series to be exact, that I found myself wanting to know and being intrigued by the villain, The Darkling. I liked Alina, our heroine, and I’m looking forward to seeing her embrace her powers and learn her own strength. I’m not sure how I feel about Mal, to be honest. I liked how he came through for her but I don’t feel like he’s the one for Alina.

I can’t wait to see what Alina will do next and what will be The Darkling’s next move. This series is shaping up to completely suck me in and at least the one good thing about waiting to read this series, is that all the books are out so no wait in between them.

Have you read this series? What do you think about The Darkling? Tell me down below!