Siege & Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Goodreads ♥ Amazon
Review:
In the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, Belle is at the library and she is describing her favorite book. She tells the Librarian, “It’s my favorite! Far Off Places, Daring Sword Fights, Magic Spells, A Prince in disguise”. It took me a few years but I finally figured out that the book Belle was describing is Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo!
Siege & Storm begins with Alina and Mal leaving Ravka
and fleeing the Darkling after everything that occurred on the Shadow Fold at
the end of Shadow and Bone. Alina and Mal try and make a life for themselves,
but the Darkling is hunting them, and the stag’s ampliphier around Alina’s neck
makes it impossible for her to truly disappear. Quickly the Darkling finds them
and from that point on the action never stops! I really want to say more about the plot
but at the risk of revealing spoilers I will stop there.
Alina as a character does a lot of changing and growing in
this novel. At first she is reluctant to embrace her duty as the Sun Summoner. She wants to build a world with Mal but her destiny catches up with her and she
realizes this is impossible. Alina must embrace the fact that she is the Sun
Summoner. The problem is that each step she takes toward the Little Castle and
the Grisha is a step away from her past and the girl she used to be. I think in
this novel Alina comes to realize that there is no going back to the girl she
was prior to meeting the Darkling, and that they will always be linked.
One of my favorite additions to this book was the character
Strumhound, a privateer. I absolutely loved him and he stole every scene that
he was in! He is charismatic, funny, and I enjoyed trying to riddle out his motives. Once
again Bardugo takes me completely by surprise with his character and I can’t
wait to see more of him.
That brings us to Mal and the Darkling, and the romance in
this novel. I will just get it out of the way and say that I love how evil the
Darkling is! And he gets even more “evil” in this book. The Darkling is the bad
guy but I am constantly rooting for him. I like him so much more then Mal that it
isn’t even a competition! Alina’s heart lies with Mal though, and the love
triangle in this book shifts in some surprising ways. After finishing Siege
& Storm I honestly have no idea if Alina will end up with Mal, The
Darkling, someone else, or if she will be by herself. The fact that this series
continually keeps me on my toes is something I really like.
Overall, Siege and Storm left me breathless. I can not wait
to read the next book and find out what happens next. I already feel like there
is a Darkling sized hole in my heart!
Thanks to Rachel @ Beauty and The Bookshelf for letting me borrow her ARC copy of Siege & Storm!
Thanks to Rachel @ Beauty and The Bookshelf for letting me borrow her ARC copy of Siege & Storm!
Nice review! And my favorite part of the book was probably Sturmhond. (LOVE him.) Oh, and the prince, too. (;
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this series yet, but I have the first book. I've heard nothing but good things and this review just makes me more excited to read it :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great review! I have to admit though, I'm totally jealous. I've been trying to get an ARC of this book for months with no luck. I wish I had a friend to exchange with!
ReplyDelete