Tales from an Avid Reader: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha Trilogy #2): Review

RATING: 5/5

SUMMARY:

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.

REVIEW:

I absolutely devoured this book. I got home from Barnes and Noble, sat down to read it at 4pm, and finished the book at 9pm.

It was just that good.

It starts off where Shadow and Bone left off. Mal and Alina are making their way across the true sea to try to make a life together. But the Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power. With the help of Sturmhond, a dangerous privateer, Alina is forced to return to the home she abandoned to fight the forces the Darkling is gathering.

My summary does this book no justice. Siege and Storm starts with a bang and doesn't let you go until the last page. For almost the whole book I was like this:

Then this:

Then this happened:

"Then I’d be alone, too," he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.”

The story progresses so well, and the characters, new and old, are absolutely great. I loved Alina and Mal, Sturmhond was the best, and the Darkling was just...the Darkling.

And then I finished the book and this happened.