Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm
Leigh Bardugo

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication date: June 4th 2013
by Holt and Co.

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. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. 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.

-A copy was provided by Macmillan for review-

Siege and Storm continues the enchanting story of Alina, Mal, and the Darkling, in their world full of danger and secrets. Starting with a bang, we're reacquainted with Alina and Mal trapped in a less than stellar situation on the Darkling's ship. This is sure to immediately captivate any fan of the series, pulling us again in this magic-filled story of the Sun Summoner. It didn't take long until the characters carved their way into my heart again. I wasn't as impressed with this sequel as I was with Shadow and Bone, but the characters are still as charming as ever, and the world building is simply fantastic.

In an action packed beginning, we meet a new mysterious character that becomes quite a big part of this sequel. However, I was saddened by how he seemed to replaces the Darkling. He's not an enigma like the Darkling - even though he does give off that vibe quite a bit - nor is he even close to being as charismatic, so sadly it did not compensate for the Darkling being MIA for 90% of this novel. While the latter does make sporadic mysterious appearances, the absence of this mysterious villain was my biggest letdown during this book. His personality and the atmosphere he infused in Shadow and Bone had me equally frustrated and mesmerized, so I felt like I was left with a void. A void I'm thinking this new character was supposed to fill but unfortunately did not quite get there for me. The fact that Mal never made any real connection with me surely did not help either as he is also a large part of this book. I do like his character, but he doesn't exactly do anything for me emotionally or romantically. Nonetheless, as far as characters go, we do get a slew of fantastic secondary characters who don't miss the mark in this sequel. They give the book a lot of personality. There is a large number to keep track of, though; it can take a bit of mental effort to keep  everyone straight, especially if it's been a while since reading the first book.

After this action packed beginning at sea, we revisit this monster-filled world full of war and magic. I loved learning more of the world, especially more about Alina's powers and what she is trying to become. I was hoping for more actual plot progress, however. The placing slows to a crawl mid-book, switching to a relationship and character heavy novel. It's great to see Alina come into herself, figuring out who she is, who she needs to be, but I would be lying if I said this was very exciting. As much as I love character development, I found myself restless with the lack of action. High fantasy is a genre that is a bit out of my comfort zone, though - I was even surprised by how much I loved the first book - so I'm convinced that those with a passion for fantasy won't mind this at all.

It begins with a bang, and it ends with one as well. The ending finally brings us back the Darkling (yehaw!) for an exciting and action filled climax. I loved how bold it was, as well as how serious it quickly became. Death and emotion are not missing from it, neither is the promise of an exciting conclusion in the third book. As I said, this genre is a hard sell for me, the first novel's action packed plot reeled me in; the loss of magic in this sequel is due to a personal taste rather than a reflection on the book itself. Leigh is an incredible writer and I have no doubt she will catch the hearts of all fantasy lovers yet again!

3 Hot Espressos

Find my review of Shadow and Bone, here!

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo 
Series: The Grisha Trilogy #1
Release date: June 5th, 2012
by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Goodreads / Purchase

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.

*A copy was provided by Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for review purposes*

While fantasy can be a hit or miss for me, I'm glad that I'm able to add another one to my hit pile. When I started Shadow and Bone I was a bit intimidated by the strange new world; by the bizarre terms such as Corporalki and Keramzin, or the ones I can't even pronounce (ie Otkazat’sya); and also by all this talk of the Shadow Fold that was obviously important but I didn't completely understand. However, as the world building is more showing rather than telling, the more I read, the more I was able to grasp the complexities of this world until I realized I was completely caught up in it. Don't get overwhelmed by the infodump at the start as this book ends up having a fascinating world that becomes highly picturesque, with an enchanting cast of characters that brings it to life.

The reason for me not always liking fantasy is how very politically drowning they can be. Political intrigue can only keep my interest for so long before I begin to snooze. Shadow and Bone is definitely not the case. It has a kingdom, yes, but it doesn't come with the usual redundant monarchy debacles I've come to expect - and run from. In here, we've got the mysterious, and terrifying, Shadow Fold filled with nothing but nightmares; we have shocking twists that are both dark and breathtaking; and most of all, we have Alina.

Alina comes off being a fragile little thing who can seem quite naive. But when she's suddenly thrown into a world so unlike her own, with no one to trust and an incredible power she didn't know she had, things get serious - fast! Thus, we get to watch her grow into a brave and powerful young woman. I really enjoyed seeing her blossom right in front of my eyes. This is genuine character development that makes you acknowledge her fears as well as understand her mistakes. She's easy to like and even easier to root for; the kind of heroine that makes the story!

Now on to The Darkling - ominous sounding, no? His dangerous aura fits his name! However, couple this with an alluring charm and we've got ourselves a very compelling character. I was never really sure how much trust to lend him which made him even more intriguing. I constantly found myself wanting to know more about this cryptic being. This is not singular to him, however, the whole story is very character driven with a big, powerful cast.

Yes we have some romance, yes it's dreamy and precious and magnetic and agonizing and exasperating, yes this is all I'm saying.

There is a lot happening in this novel, so much so that it does skim the surface on a few things - I was especially hoping for a deeper knowledge of the Grisha and everything surrounding their purpose. The world building is absolutely attractive, though a lot of it is meant to entertain more than to perfect. But overall: Dark, gritty, yet filled with humoristic bits, Shadow and Bone is a fresh, action packed fantasy that is beautifully written and highly engrossing. This is one that actually lives up to the hype!

4 Hot Espressos