Book Review | Siege and Storm (The Grisha Trilogy #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Despite Alina and Mal’s efforts to flee and disappear into an unfamiliar land, far away from the Darkling’s power, they find that making a new life together is not as easy as they’d hoped. For Alina, running away from her past and what seems to be her destiny becomes futile.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and he’s still anxious to join his darkness with Alina’s light to rule all of Ravka. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the Little Palace and what’s left of the Second Army. As her power and supporters grow, Alina seems to slip further away from Mal despite her longing to be near him.

Bardugo does a great job developing Alina’s character in Siege and Storm (The Grisha Trilogy). Especially as Alina becomes Sankta Alina in the eyes of the commoners. I felt the discomfort and fear that Alina expressed, as well the confusion about her duty versus her obsession with her new and unrealized power. I really enjoyed the new characters that Bardugo introduces in this book, especially Nikolai.

Of the three books in this series, I liked this one the least, but I still did like it. It’s a great bridge book and definitely worth the read to get to book three, Ruin and Rising (review coming tomorrow!).

Overall Rating:

Parent’s guide:

Sex: At least one somewhat steamy kissing scene.
Language: a few mild swear words
Violence: An animal is killed, dark fighting scenes where people are killed, strange mystical animals that kill humans
Drug Use: none

My post on Shadow and Bone, book one of the Grisha series, can be found here.

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1), by Leigh Bardvgo (thethoughtfulreader.wordpress.com)
Thoughts on Two Trilogies I Loved Reading (sophisticateddorkiness.com)
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (isthisbookevengood.wordpress.com)
Gwen’s Thoughts on Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (gwenkatelibrary.wordpress.com)
Review: “Shadow & Bone” by Leigh Bardugo (birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
Shadow and Bone- Leigh Bardugo (donttakemybooksaway.wordpress.com)

Title: Siege and Storm
Series: The Grisha Trilogy (Book 2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult - Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 448

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, 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.

Siege and Storm is the second book in The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo