Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Add to: Goodreads
Source: Library
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Format: Hardcover, 435 pages
Release Date: June 4, 2013

Spoilers for Shadow & Bone in the summary. Review is spoiler-free for both books!

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.

Siege and Storm is Leigh Bardugo's phenomenal follow-up to Shadow and Bone. In this complex, stunning tale, the characters are tested more than ever and the beautifully-crafted world of the Grishas is carved wide open for a closer look.

Alina and Mal are frighteningly real as characters. They are at once selfish and kind; thoughtless and thoughtful. I wanted to throttle them both at times (although I must admit, Mal got the brunt of my frustration) but these are people in the most fragile, complex situation and I'm thrilled and relieved that their personalities reflect that.

Do you remember in the 7th Harry Potter book when Harry was obsessed with the Horcruxes and you just wanted to slap him awake? That's a little bit like how I felt with Alina. There's this constant push and pull with power, a dance to try and take what she needs to make things right but not take too much and become overcome with it. Siege and Storm asks the hard questions but doesn't necessarily give you the answers.

This, like the first novel in the series, is such an emotional book. Bardugo keeps you on your toes, constantly manipulating the situation, always bringing out whole scores of feelings. The dialogue and world-building is pitch-perfect. I don't know how Leigh Bardugo does it but this is another breath-taking conclusion. The last chapters of the book pack such a punch that it left me reeling. I need to read the last book. Soon. Now. Yesterday.

And you're telling me I have to wait another 10 months?

5 Golden Crowns!

Cover Comments: Love this cover! I hope desperately that they never change the pattern they have going for this series because between the font, swirls, dragon and colours... I'm getting a little flail-y.