Hello everyone! I'm hoping the weekend is starting right for you all!
I'm gonna be trying to sleep some before getting ready to attend the
wedding of one of my co-workers, but I'm leaving you all with the review
of a wonderful and heartbreaking book as this week's Saturday Pages entry!
As many others this year, it is also the final book in a trilogy and thankfully is one of those that has not disappointed at all! This book very much makes the series once again for me! And it also counts for my 2014 Book Blogger Summer Reading Program challenge!
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ruin and Rising was one of those highly awaiting books of the year for me, and really there seems to have been a few already. But when so many amazing series end this year, how can you not be dying to read them all!?
I was a bit concerned about spoilers for this one since many bookstores seemed to be putting it up on their shelves early and my Kindle copy was the one releasing on Thursday instead of Tuesday, but luckily everyone in my Twitter feed was awesome and I didn't get the book spoiled! I have also to give a big thanks to Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction for being there for me while I was reading and DMing her like mad on Twitter!!
I will try my very best to keep this review spoiler free for the book, but you can expect some spoilers here and there for the previous books. Still, if you want to enjoy Ruin & Rising properly? Just go into the book as blind as possible! It's a brilliant book, with plenty of unexpected twists and revelations and the less you know about it all, the better! You've been warned!
Ruin & Rising starts where Siege & Storm left us, and the pacing at first seemed as unhurried as the one in Siege & Storm. I thought that Siege & Storm had a bit of a middle book syndrome since it was more of a slow book, but after finishing the series... all the build up done in Siege & Storm was necessary and I'm sure that when I do the re-read of the whole series I see in my future, I'll think differently about that book. Even with the slow pace of the first third of the book we were treated to plenty of surprises, character development and plot progression. Then everything changes as we near the middle of the book and I can only say... brace yourselves for Chapter 11! I just couldn't read fast enough! And then the final part of the book... prepare yourself for having your heart broken and fixed and broken and... well, it's a rollercoaster of emotions! I loved the ending even if my heart was left aching for a few characters.
Alina really shines in this book. She has to recover from the battle and the events at the end of Siege & Storm, and she has to find a way to wield her power and not lose herself to it. Her journey is quite a tough one, but luckily she learns that she doesn't have to undertake it alone.
Each three of the guys in this book, each three of plausible love interests can also be seen as each of the three different faces of Alina. Mal is her human side, the orphan that was unsure of herself but still didn't bow down easily and loved fiercely and loyally. Nikolai is power and responsability, the need to do what's right and lead the people of Ravka, he might be rakish and fun and a bit of rogue, but he would be bound by duty and honour. And the Darkling, well he's the siren song of her power and the lure of giving into it, letting it rule you instead of letting your human side win. If you want to know who wins... read the book, my lips are sealed! I'll just let you know I felt the Darkling at his most alluring and he's a fantastic villain, Nikolai was as sarcasting and amazing as ever, and Mal... I had disliked Mal in Siege & Storm, but he does redeem himself in this one, in spades!
All the other secondary characters are also present and important, and quite a few of them are also part of bigger or smaller revelations that shape the plot. I continue to be blown away by the way Leigh Bardugo makes us fall in love with not just the main characters but the secondary one. I simple adored Genya and David and the twins!
I'm gonna stop babbling now, I still have a massive book hangover with this one, and I feel like re-reading the entire series once my hardcovers arrive, cause I ordered them all once I finished this one! 5 shiny and well deserved stars!!
View all my reviews
As many others this year, it is also the final book in a trilogy and thankfully is one of those that has not disappointed at all! This book very much makes the series once again for me! And it also counts for my 2014 Book Blogger Summer Reading Program challenge!
Ruin and Rising by Leigh BardugoMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ruin and Rising was one of those highly awaiting books of the year for me, and really there seems to have been a few already. But when so many amazing series end this year, how can you not be dying to read them all!?
I was a bit concerned about spoilers for this one since many bookstores seemed to be putting it up on their shelves early and my Kindle copy was the one releasing on Thursday instead of Tuesday, but luckily everyone in my Twitter feed was awesome and I didn't get the book spoiled! I have also to give a big thanks to Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction for being there for me while I was reading and DMing her like mad on Twitter!!
I will try my very best to keep this review spoiler free for the book, but you can expect some spoilers here and there for the previous books. Still, if you want to enjoy Ruin & Rising properly? Just go into the book as blind as possible! It's a brilliant book, with plenty of unexpected twists and revelations and the less you know about it all, the better! You've been warned!
Ruin & Rising starts where Siege & Storm left us, and the pacing at first seemed as unhurried as the one in Siege & Storm. I thought that Siege & Storm had a bit of a middle book syndrome since it was more of a slow book, but after finishing the series... all the build up done in Siege & Storm was necessary and I'm sure that when I do the re-read of the whole series I see in my future, I'll think differently about that book. Even with the slow pace of the first third of the book we were treated to plenty of surprises, character development and plot progression. Then everything changes as we near the middle of the book and I can only say... brace yourselves for Chapter 11! I just couldn't read fast enough! And then the final part of the book... prepare yourself for having your heart broken and fixed and broken and... well, it's a rollercoaster of emotions! I loved the ending even if my heart was left aching for a few characters.
Alina really shines in this book. She has to recover from the battle and the events at the end of Siege & Storm, and she has to find a way to wield her power and not lose herself to it. Her journey is quite a tough one, but luckily she learns that she doesn't have to undertake it alone.
Each three of the guys in this book, each three of plausible love interests can also be seen as each of the three different faces of Alina. Mal is her human side, the orphan that was unsure of herself but still didn't bow down easily and loved fiercely and loyally. Nikolai is power and responsability, the need to do what's right and lead the people of Ravka, he might be rakish and fun and a bit of rogue, but he would be bound by duty and honour. And the Darkling, well he's the siren song of her power and the lure of giving into it, letting it rule you instead of letting your human side win. If you want to know who wins... read the book, my lips are sealed! I'll just let you know I felt the Darkling at his most alluring and he's a fantastic villain, Nikolai was as sarcasting and amazing as ever, and Mal... I had disliked Mal in Siege & Storm, but he does redeem himself in this one, in spades!
All the other secondary characters are also present and important, and quite a few of them are also part of bigger or smaller revelations that shape the plot. I continue to be blown away by the way Leigh Bardugo makes us fall in love with not just the main characters but the secondary one. I simple adored Genya and David and the twins!
I'm gonna stop babbling now, I still have a massive book hangover with this one, and I feel like re-reading the entire series once my hardcovers arrive, cause I ordered them all once I finished this one! 5 shiny and well deserved stars!!
View all my reviews
YAY! I loved hearing your thoughts as you read :-) So much fun to see your reactions. I am so happy you loved it too, I knew you would even with the slower start. Now we wait for The Dregs!
ReplyDeleteAYE AYE! I need more from this world!
DeleteThank you for the moral support while reading, Kristen!
There are THREE GUYS now? .___. I didn't love book one and thought that it would have been MUCH better without the romance, haha! x) I haven't read book 2 yet but I already own it... Your review reminded me that I should get to it soon so I can see how this series ends! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved book one, Aimee, so I'm sorry to hear you didn't love it. Give the rest of the trilogy a try, they're fantastic books!
DeleteAmazing review sweetie. <3 I'm so glad you loved this book. Sigh. It was perfect, wasn't it? :D Pfff. How could you ever hate Mal in Siege and Storm? :( I don't get it. And to me, he did NOT have anything he needed to redeem himself for. Hih. I just don't get why so many people dislike him :\ Sigh. It makes my heart ache. But anyway! It makes me happy you loved the book :)
ReplyDeleteYes, this one was fantastic!! I loved the book!
DeleteI felt both Mal and Alina really needed to sort themselves out in Siege & Storm and both bothered me with their attitude... Alina was a mess with how she was dealing with her power, both political and Grisha, and Mal was trying to figure out how to deal with it and he was struggling loads. It bothered me how long it took him to figure out that Alina might need help from him more than anyone else... *sigh* But, I was always team Mal! ;)
SKIMMING THIS ONE AS WELL BECAUSE I ACTUALLY HAVE THIS BOOK SITTING ON MY BED AND I'VE READ THE OTHER TWO ALREADY SO SKIMMING. I already had a feeling from S&B that Mal would be the "winning" male, so at least it's good that he redeems himself. Because right now, from S&B and S&S, I got the "complete asshole" vibe from him, pardon my language. So. I guess that's good.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Pili!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Noooooo, Mal's not an asshole!! BUT YES!! GO READ IT NOW MISS!! AND TWEET ME YOUR FEELS ABOUT THE BOOK!!
DeleteMy bookhangover and your bookhangover should get together for post-bookhangover drinks. Seriously. It's starting to compound. Like interest. Two of my favorite series wrapped-up within months of each other (DoSB was the other one), and all I can say is that it's a darn good thing Throne of Glass isn't ending, b/c it might leave me catatonic, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI really think Alina was great in this one too, and the 3 potentials just about killed me. So did that other thing, b/c GAH--yes, I know it was necessary, but did it have to happen that way? THE FEELS. And I just love Mal. Always have, always will (even though he was a total lamewad in S&S). Glad you loved this too, Pili! Great review ;)
Yeah, everytime I write a review for a final book of a series I get a sense of deja vu, like... another series is over??? But, but, but...
DeleteI foresee a MASSIVE book hangover after Heir of Fire too, cause Crown of Midnight left me uncapable of reading anything else for almost a week! But yeah, thankfully we'll have TWO more books to look forward in Sarah's series, or it might just be too much to handle!
I completely agree that Mal WAS lamewad in S&S, his brooding and difficulty dealing with the changes in Aline drove me up the wall! As much as I could understand how hard it could be for him, it was killing me! I was always Team Mal too! Nikolai was a lot of fun of a character but not my ship! And yes, yes I know what spoiler you refer to... I was on shock after shock reading the last bits of the book!
I think I might be one of the few YA readers on the planet that hasn't read this series yet. :/
ReplyDeleteWell, unless you don't really like fantasy... I highly recommend you do! And now that the three books are out, you can binge read them!
Delete