Review: Ruin and Rising

Title: Ruin and Rising
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Source: Purchased
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Review:

This was a thrilling conclusion to the Shadow and Bone trilogy!

This story was quite fast paced. One of my favourite parts about Bardugo’s stories is that when the characters explain their plans and what they want to happen, something comes to ruin it. Even when you think you can predict what is going to happen, someone comes in to crash the plans so it doesn’t happen and it turns the plot in a completely different direction. It keeps her readers on their toes.

I found the ending of the story so emotional. The characters go through so much love and loss through this book. Some losses were very hard to take.

This may be a bit of a spoiler, but I liked the epilogue. The characters went through so much throughout the series that it was calming to see how it all ended. I was satisfied with the ending, but I am glad that there are more books in the GrishaVerse for me to read!

Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book. View all posts by jilljemmett