Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Book Review

“You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai?” I asked as I closed the book’s cover and headed for the door. “They always end up dead.” 

About

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Dystopian

Series: Shadow and Bone 2

World: Grisha Verse

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Shadow and Bone

Ruin and Rising

Synopsis

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, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But 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

Spoilers Contained Below

Dear Grisha lovers,

Another day, another Grisha book.

So let’s just jump into it shall we!

Where do I even begin with this book? So many things happened and I just kind of want to talk about the ending because we all know the endings are the best part of any book, or well most books, I’m talking to you Allegiant 🤪 But I think it’s best if I talked about things that happened before that. But don’t worry, I’ll get there.

The book started off with Mal and Alina having run away and trying to stay incognito. Things seemed to be going all dandy and then, BAM the Darkling showed up out of nowhere with scars on his face and his shadow monster beings called the nichevo’ya. When I imagine them, I kind of see something straight out of Stranger Things, but kind of like wispy and dark pigmented. As I was reading this, I was kind of wondering how in the world did the Darkling find Mal and Alina? Apparently, Genya put a tracking device in Alina’s barrette, the one she wore before she brought down the Darkling’s ship. I have such a love-hate relationship with Genya. I genuinely see her as a good person, but just with limited options and choices and when she does make a choice, she chooses wrong. But she was always a good friend to Alina and despite all the things Genya has done to deceive her, I’m kind of with Alina on this one, but she still likes her and cares for her.

Genya kind of didn’t show up throughout the book except when she hobbled in at the end in a bulky coat. At first, Alina thought it’s Baghra, but it was Genya.

And GOSH, as much as I didn’t really like Genya, my heart just plummeted for her.

“The bites were everywhere, raised black ridges of flesh, twisting lumps of tissue that could never be healed, not by Grisha hand or any other, the unmistakable makes of the nichevo’ya. Then I saw the faded flame of her hair, the lovely amber hue of her one remaining eye.”

(pg. 414)

Genya—–the girl who’s natural beauty and effervescence out rivaled everyone else’s—–and now she was broken and reduced to nothing but darkness and scars because in the beginning of the book, she allowed for Alina to make a getaway with Sturmhond when aboard the Darkling’s ship. And I just can’t believe that the Darkling would do such a thing to such an innocent girl who was so full of life. So full.

And apparently the pilgrims were calling Genya Razrusha’ya, which meant the ruined. And I was so ready to throw down on any pilgrim who called Genya “ruined.” Yea, she was beaten and abused by the Darkling and reduced to nothing, but was she “ruined?” NO! She was STRONG! If she could still stand and live despite all she endured—–and gosh knows we probably don’t know the full extent of what she endured——then I think ruined is the last word that should be used to describe her. I loved how Alina was like if the pilgrims called Genya that again, their tongues would be cut out. Honey, I’ll cut them out with you!

I just really loved Genya and Alina’s friendship in the first book and I feel like in the last book, Genya and Alina were going to make up and that there was going to be a redemption of that trust and friendship between them.

While we’re on the topic of tragedies that arose from the Darkling, let’s first start with the town of Novokribirsk. Like how dare he just rush out his Darkling power and also use Alina’s power to harm all the innocent lives at the dock just so he could expand the Fold. Like did you really have to do that? Those people did nothing to him and yet he killed them all because he had the power to. I really don’t like the Darkling.

But do I think Alina and him would make a good couple? *Rubs chin in thought*

If I was asked this last book, if you read that review, then you would know that I was so for that relationship. I mean who doesn’t like a twisted bad guy and a good girl together, especially when they can make each other better or stronger people? They have such a twisted relationship that borderlines weird and questionable. I question my sanity when I kind of feel like they would still be good together.

But what was a real turn off for me this time around was the fact that the Darkling carved his mother’s eyes out like a pumpkin.

Like you don’t do that to your OWN MOTHER 👏🏼!!!!

I was beyond happy Bagrha was alive, like gosh, if he killed his mother, OOOOH! I mean, OOOOH! That’s a dealbreaker! I would have really detested the Darkling even more. Still, carving your mom’s eyes out!? Beyond low for such a low, disgusting, vile person. I mean, who does that? He carved Genya’s eyes out too! Why does the Darkling need all those eyeballs for? Does he have a secret eyeball fetish or something? I don’t understand him.

Honestly, to me, I just found it disturbingly funny how it took me until he carved out his mom’s eyes to make me realize just how horrible a person he was 🤪. There goes my taste in men. I’m joking.

Or can we just mention those weird hallucinations that Alina would have of the Darkling. At first, I thought he was pulling another thing like he did in the beginning of the book where he just popped up out of nowhere, but apparently because Alina got bitten by one of his nichevo’ya and she wore the amplifier he put on her, she has this secret bonding connection to him where if she thinks about him or calls out to him, he comes to her. Which to me sounds sketchy because it makes it sound like Alina likes him or needs him—–both two very different things. I didn’t understand why when she went back to the Little Palace she had to stay in the Darkling’s room. Couldn’t she have slept in her old room or a different room? Why did it have to be his room? I also found it funny how when she walked into his room, she was like “Wow, the Darkling is actually a normal person who doesn’t sleep hanging from the ceiling like a bat.” Honestly, I would have thought the same thing too.

There were also some weird moments that he would just pop out of nowhere. I found it kind of invasive and weird how he just showed up on the ship, in the church, when she was with Mal, or when she was sleeping and she thought she was kissing Mal but it was him.

During that part when she thought she was kissing Mal when she woke up the next day, I was like no way is that Mal. She just fought with Mal the night before and Mal doesn’t seem like the type of person to just forgive and forget and walk into her room to kiss her good morning. I had to do a double-take read and see if her eyes were open. They were not. And I was like, it’s the Darkling 🙈. It was, and she had the chills. I had chills too, but for a different reason 😣. I just don’t know what to make of her relationships with men. I really don’t.

In this book we meet the pirate, Sturmhond, which is another name for Wolf. During the whole voyage to escape from the Darkling, I thought Sturmhond was kind of a mysterious but a very bold kind of person. I also admired him that he was able to make a living on the sea with his Grisha runaways and that he had such respect from his crew. He also made his ship fly, so that was cool also. But Sturmhond came off very reserved and strict at times, but also playful. Then came the part when the crew crashed down on land and he revealed himself as Prince Nikolai.

I was shook!

We’ve heard about the younger son, Prince Nikolai in the first book and how people thought him an illegitimate child and the poor “puppy” of the court. I assumed that was that and we weren’t ever going to hear about him again. But dude ran his own ship of Grisha! He’s basically the Hannah Montana of the Grisha verse, with his pirate by day and prince by night kind of thing. Wow!

Nikolai’s such an interesting character. He’s so complex and can have so many different demeanors. I feel like he was never accepted and never felt like he truly belonged in court because he was not his father’s son and all that, so he found a passion and love at sea. He built his own name for himself where he was respected by many. And I think that’s so good for him because just the way some people during the court meetings or balls would speak of Nikolai was so rude even though he was a prince. Maybe he’s not true royal blood, but he’s still a prince, so I don’t know what other Grisha would talk so lowly about him when he has power over them.

I just also feel like Nikolai really turns his personas off and on when he needs to. He can be the strong, I just also feel like Nikolai really turns his personas off and on when he needs to. He can be the strong, respected pirate Sturmhond, he can be the engaging and tactful prince, but he can also be human. The parts when he would be vulnerable and honest about who he was with Alina, were the best parts because I could just really feel him coming through. I didn’t see the pirate or the prince who had to put on smiles for show, but I saw someone who just wanted to be loved and accepted and who just wanted to live in a better world.

I respected that.

I also really loved the level of ego, arrogance, and comedy Nikolai brought to this book. The first book to me lacked a lot of that humor and cockiness that most characters have, but Nikolai has enough cockiness and arrogance in one little finger—— a personality big enough to fill the whole book. I loved the playful banter between him and Alina and the whole fake love story in how he asked her to marry him to make a strong alliance. As much as they fake liking each other and getting along, I feel like deep down Nikolai kind of does have true feelings for Alina.

“I want to kiss you,” Nikolai said. “But I won’t. Not until you’re thinking of me instead of trying to forget him.”

(pg. 354)

Now we can’t forget the other point of this love square.

Mal.

I’m not sure how I feel about Mal 😂. Story of my life.

He’s a nice man and a loyal friend, but I think that’s all he can be for Alina.

II think Alina put him on a pedestal for so long because she grew up with him and was the guy she only knew, so naturally she would have generated that school girl crush for him. But I think as Alina gets exposed to the world and other men, she starts to see Mal as just Mal and not Mal as her crush. Mal also doesn’t feel good enough for Alina as a friend or a lover because he doesn’t understand her powers because he’s not Grisha. He feels like other people see him as the imcomptent guard and that’s all he will ever be to others and to Alina. Alina can have any guy because she has all this power, but Mal feels like nothing. And that just really hurt because Mal is genuinely a good person.

Granted, he did some dumb things in this book. But we all screw up in some ways, so I couldn’t really blame Mal.

Did anyone just think of Archie from Riverdale when Tolya took Alina to Mal and they saw him fighting with the Grisha? I don’t know I was thinking of that because Riverdale’s focusing on Archie and boxing now 😆.

But Mal was a boxer!? Who knew? I think that because he felt like a pariah in Alina’s world, he felt the only way to prove himself a part of her court and to other people, was to fight Grisha that were stronger than him. I just wanted to take Mal aside and tell him how strong he was and that he had nothing to prove to anyone. If he was Alina’s top guard, then there had to have been a reason, so no one should have questioned him. But at the end of the scene where Mal was boxing, Zoya ran up to him and planted a kiss on his lips. And Mal never pulled away!! What a butt! Alina saw this and started crying, which gosh, seeing someone you’ve liked all these years kiss your enemy, has to kind of sting. Especially since Alina and Mal were older now and starting to take action on their feelings and trying to make a relationship work.

We all know how that turned out.

Mal always wanted more from Alina and to not hide in secret about how they felt for each other. But with the whole tour to the Little Palace and trying to show people that Alina was alive and well and had a good bond with Nikolai, they didn’t really have time to figure out more of their feelings and their whole relationship. At the same time, I felt like Mal was very possessive about Alina in how he would get angry when Nikolai would make a joke or when he kissed her. But kissing Alina unexpectedly was kind of uncalled for on Nikolai’s part so I could see why Mal got mad in that instance.

But still. At the same time, he was also becoming more distant from Alina with all his hunting outings he would go on. At first, he was reluctant to leave her, but then he did go because he’s a good tracker. And so he went on more and more hunts with his group and we saw less of him. I kept thinking that Mal was distancing himself from her on purpose to either gain independent strength or as a way to staunch his feelings. When he was hanging out with his mates, though, he would gamble and drink and do un-Mal like things and I just saw it as a bad path for Mal because he was better than that.

After seeing Mal kiss Zoya and Alina ran away. Mal chased after her, trying to talk to her and they have this big argument where Mal said something so dumb! Well, like dumb for him. He said something along the lines of why the only reason he went away all those times was because he was waiting for Alina to tell him to stay. And I was like, Mal, she can’t read your damn mind 🤪!!! How was Alina supposed to know that you wanted her to tell you to stay!? She had so many other things to think about and the last thing that was on her mind was his egocentric feelings.

I could not 😂.

I think realistically, Alina and Nikolai would be a better relationship than Alina with Mal or the Darkling, but I just don’t think Alina feels the same way about him, so the love connection between them doesn’t really come through. Alina kind of only saw Nikolai as an option or a rebound from Mal and not an actual love. I also think to Alina, the Darkling was who she felt like she deserved because of the whole like called to like thing.

Really, she doesn’t need a man.

I don’t think a relationship is befitting for her at this point in her life. Alina likes Goldilocks in choosing men because the Darkling is too cold, Nikolai’s too warm, and Mal’s not quite right.

So really I don’t know who she’s going to end up with. But I would be okay if this series ends and she doesn’t end up with anyone, but she figures out she needs time to understand herself; I’m all for female empowerment.

Let’s take a pause on the relationship talk for now.

When NiWhen Nikolai and Alina were making their way to the Little Palace, they had a grand parade showing their alliance and that the Sun Summoner, the saint herself, is alive. I can’t believe when they were traveling to the palace, they saw some vendors selling Alina’s finger bones for sale. Or that people would buy that as some omen for safety! I guess it’s kind of like how people feel about crosses as a symbol of their religion and belief. I could understand how Alina was their hope and hope is a strong thing especially amongst darkness, but did they really have to sell her bones when she was alive?!

Don’t even get me started on when Alina made a sneaky getaway from the Little Palace that one day when she was being irrational. She snuck out just as the sun was rising and everyone was praising her name and saying Sankta Alina and all of that, and then when trying to help a grandma up, the grandma noticed her as the saint herself. And then the pilgrims started to tear her to pieces and rip out her hair and her robe. And I was like what in the name! I get that they were big fans and were obsessed with her like some people are with their celebrity crush or whatever, but we do not rip a person apart and tear out their hair. They worshiped Alina so much, I would have thought they would have bowed down to her or something, but tearing her apart?! You don’t do that!!!!! Alina literally was ready to let them rip her to pieces and actually sell her real bones willingly on the side of the road. What savage people!!

Thank goodness Tolya and Tamar were there and were able to get her out in time. I could only imagine how much they could rip her apart. *Shudders*

Another big thing that’s going on during this whole book was the amplifiers.

Alina had Morozova’s stag around her neck and in the beginning of the book the Darkling used Mal to track the sea serpent or sea whip. I thought the whole killing of the sea whip was kind of anticlimactic and seemed too easy because for a big sea snake thing, you would think it would have put up more of a dramatic fight and that it would have been harder to slay. But it was so easy for the Darkling and the others to tame and slay it.

Alina’s the one who bore the sea whip and the stag and had all this tremendous power on her. I can imagine Alina wearing all the amplifiers with her necklace and her bracelet. There’s one more amplifier out there, which was the firebird. No one has ever seen the firebird, but in the childhood tales the firebird was found everywhere. Alina wants to find it so her powers can have maximum amplification so she can take down the Darkling and maybe the Fold. She wants to expand her jewelry collection 😉. Is the firebird going to be a set of earrings? Or wings? I wonder what.

With all this power came lots of responsibility. Baghra kept emphasizing that it was too late for her because she had too much power. She kept saying how Alina would change. And then Alina threatened her in the worst way to get Baghra to talk to her and some part of Alina loved doing that.

Mal also noticed a change in her. But what did he expect when Alina’s whole life has been turned upside down. She’s not the same girl she was when she was little. So I think he needed to stop seeing her as who she was, but as who she is. Granted, he can worry about Alina and warn her that she’s changing for the worse because he’s a concerned friend, but he can’t expect her to act like the innocent girl she was.

It’s acutely a testament that Alina can acknowledge that she’s changing too. It means that she feels it and that she can catch herself from becoming too dark or inhuman like the Darkling himself.

The end of the book was just one big explosion, literally.

What was a meeting turned into an ultimate take down of the capital of Ravka.

All because of Vasily’s arrogance. I kind of didn’t understand this part clearly, but as an act of strength to show that he was the better brother, he made an alliance with the Fjeradans in the war. But it was a trick that allowed the Darkling to have an opening to invade.

And invaded he did.

He brought down the palace and all the nichevo’ya came in and started ripping people to pieces and causing chaos. One of the first lives to be lost was Vasily himself. The nichevo’ya just came and tore off his arm and Vasily was still standing and then collapsed like a building. I was like woah! The way Leigh described the scene was so graphic and intense with all the blood on the walls and the pool of blood covering the floor. Poor Sergei who saw his best friend’s life get taken by the nichevo’ya. He was literally shaking and stunned and I felt so bad for him. Sergei wasn’t the most talked about character in the books, but I felt his loss and pain and, gosh it hurt so much.

During the chaos, Nikolai was trying to get his parents and others to safety, so he had to part ways with Alina who went to go help others and face down the Darkling. After they said goodbye, Alina was like, “I wonder if I’ll see him again.” For her sake and mine, I hope we do. I quite happen to like Nikolai!!

When Alina’s on her own and everything comes down, lo and behold came Tolya and Tamar riding with a mass army of pilgrims. They were Apparat supporters of the Sun Summoner. They were double spies, but they mainly served Alina, which I thought was nice. I didn’t want another Genya situation where they were two timing her. I was surprised that they believed in the Apparat and his preachings because those people were crazy! Not that Tolya and Tamar were crazy. They’re strong, brute forces, but it was weird they followed the creepy Apparat.

Then there was the whole moment with the Darkling in the chapel where he promised that he would let Alina’s friends go if she goes with him. I was screaming in my seat for her to not go!!! But, of course, Alina had to go because she couldn’t stand to see more lives lost. And when she approached the Darkling she was like He was my monster!

EEEEEEKKKKKK! UGH!

I’ve never had such a LOVE-HATE relationship between two characters so much! Honestly, Alina you deserve better, he’s isn’t your monster—-I’m sorry, your villain.

I couldn’t

But then she escaped once again and went into hiding with the Apparat underground. While underground, she woke up with blonde hair and a deep feeling in her gut. That feeling was the absence of her power. She couldn’t summon light anymore. I’m not sure how true this is, but we’ll see in the next book. I think maybe she just used up too much of her power and she has to recharge. Or maybe, she truly did over exert herself and depleted her light power. But wouldn’t the amplifiers have helped me not over exert herself as much because they would amplify her power? I don’t know. Do you think her powers are gone?

I honestly want to know more about this Apparat and what his whole role has been from the beginning because he seems like such a sketchy, but good intentioned character. I also want to know what the heck Baghra up to and if she survived yet again the destruction that is her son. I didn’t like Baghra as much in this book, but you know what they say, you got to respect your elderly.

We also have to know that Nikolai survived because if he didn’t, I wouldl be torn to pieces! Such a good character.

Speaking of good characters, I want to know more about Genya and what she’s been through with the Darkling. I feel like there’s a good story line there. And David. David, David, David. I feel like David is hiding something. He had so much knowledge about Morozova’s amplifiers, more so than any normal person should know, so I think there’s something he’s not telling Alina. I feel like maybe David’s great ancestors created them or something.

The Darkling.

What’s his real name? I don’t know, but I do have some names for him 🤪.

One big thing in this book that I think needs to be touched on in the last book is Alina and Mal’s past. They keep mentioning that they have little tibbits of their memory like Mal with the woman and the golden hair and the licorice smell. And Alina remembering the two mill town. I think that their past will reveal a lot about why they are and who they are. I think that Alina and the Darkling are related somehow. Maybe Baghra had the Darkling with one man and Alina with another man. Maybe she gave up Alina because she saw the power the Darkling had and didn’t want her daughter to grow up to be a monster. I don’t know. I just think their lives are connected because of how she’s the total opposite of him. That would be kind of weird though that he would kiss his sister, but I’ve heard weirder.

Or maybe that’s her cousin or something? I don’t know! I need to know!

Anyway, what were your thoughts about Siege and Storm? Your favorite parts? Least favorite parts? Who are you rooting for Alina to be with? Do you think her and the Darkling are related are no? Let me know below in the comments 💕

Whenever or wherever you’re reading this, I hope you have a day that is as light as Alina!

As always, with love,

Rating

3.7 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: I loved the introduction of Nikolai, Tolya, and Tamar, I though they brought some strength and different personalities. This book really showed the progression of Alina as a person and battling the power and darkness that comes with being the sole carrier of all the amplifiers she wore. This book also shed Mal in a new light as someone who feels incompetent and slightly broken. Genya, gosh, Genya, deserved so much more.

Plot: The beginning was kind of weird because of how the Darkling just popped out of no where. The whole middle of the story was kind of slow paced because it was just about traveling back to the Little Palace. The end is where things really started to take off and revelations and hard decisions were made.

Writing: Leigh is and amazing writer and I appreciate the graphicness of her words.

Action: The ending is where the action is mostly at. Some devastations and fun traveling scenes in the beginning though.

Romance: Alina has so many options when it comes to men now. But I don’t feel like anyone is just right for her when really she should focus on who she is.