Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

I loved this second book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy even more than the first one! I loved the character developments, especially Alina’s internal conflicts, but most of all I loved the introduction of Nikolai, he’s such a new favorite character!

In this sequel to Shadow and Bone Alina is on the run together with Mal, hunted by the Darkling, and struggling to make a new life in an unfamiliar land. Ending up on the notorious privateer Sturmhond’s ship, they eventually return, 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.

“There is no ordinary life for people like you and me.”

I loved the character developments in this book! Alina was a much stronger narrator and I felt myself rooting and caring about the characters a lot more, especially Nikolai. When he entered the story, it got me even more hooked. I loved his sassiness and intelligence, but also how he always stood up for what’s right and just and opposed the mistreatment of innocent people. His and Alina’s bantering was one of my favorite parts and what made this book even better than Shadow and Bone. I also loved the glimpses of court life and politics that was added to the story with the introduction of Nikolai.

I know not everyone agrees with me on this, but I really appreciated the way Leigh Bardugo slowed the action part down a bit in order for us to get to know the characters more and how she showed them as persons, not just heroes fighting for a purpose. I especially enjoyed seeing Alina grow and how she handled her internal conflicts, both in regard to her power and her relationships.

“You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai? They always end up dead.”

A thing I didn’t enjoy so much though, was the way things developed with Mal. He just came across as whiney, insecure and clingy complaining about how Alina was changing instead of supporting her to embrace her full power. I also still don’t really get the fuss about the Darkling. But I nevertheless found myself missing his presence in this book, the intrigue definitely would have been more intense if there’d been more of him. But on the other hand, I’m very content with how a lot of the focus was on Nikolai. He definitely carried this book almost all by himself!

All in all, this was an amazing sequel that did this series more than justice and got me even more addicted to the story and its characters! The inspiration drawn from Russian folklore and culture makes this series really unique among fantasy stories, and the way Leigh Bardugo writes is just brilliant and so captivating! I’ll be picking up Ruin and Rising right away, both dreading and longing for the conclusion of this magical story! I know who I wish for Alina to choose, but I fear that Leigh Bardugo might not give me the ending I hope for…

Rating:
4.5 magical stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Leigh Bardugo