Ruin and Rising

paperback, 480 pages

English language

Published Aug. 18, 2015 by Square Fish, Bardugo Leigh.

ISBN:
978-1-250-06316-8
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4 stars (7 reviews)

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 …

4 editions

The Warm Summer of Forever Endings

5 stars

The strongest of the trilogy, Alina struggles with her quest for more power and what the future could possibly hold once her job is done. I enjoyed the extra time we got to spend with other characters, each feeling a lot more rounded and real than previous books. The end felt odd after the busy and chaotic battle but endings are always hard. So many options lie ahead and you have to pick one but you don't get to explore what it really means.

A very different ending from the show, better. I don't dislike either ending and it's hard to compare them, especially as the show didn't really get to wrap up properly and went in such a different direction.

The final chapter with the girl and the boy felt like a warm memory of half remembered childhood summers. A stillness, a potential that stretches out forever but it's …

Review of 'Ruin and Rising' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A decent end to the trilogy. Still well paced with believable characters. I felt there was one bit of a plot hole, but otherwise most everything made sense.

Why did everyone think that Alina would suddenly reach her full power when she killed Mal? The other two amplifiers required preparation. The necklace and the fetter had to be crafted before she could use their power. Why did everyone think that she'd immediately get her full powers the moment Mal died?

At least the more toxic aspects of the Mal/Alina relationship were mostly missing from this volume, but it was still somewhat disappointing that she ended up with him. This romance plot was by far the weakest element of an otherwise decent series. The fact that she had to lose her powers for it to work was also unfortunate.

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