Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

“why won’t you leave me alone?” i whispered one night as he hovered behind me while i tried to work at my desk….”because i’d be alone, too,” he said.

leigh bardugo

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Goodreads Summary: 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.

Rating:

Thoughts:

Like many other readers, I’m currently working my way through the Grishaverse before the Netflix show drops. I’ve never read any of Bardugo’s books previously so they’re all new to me. This book would’ve been a 3 star read for me based solely on the plot but the additional characters added to the cast in this installment pushed it to a 4.

I felt like the first book in this series was a slow burn, but this book is even slower. I could sum up what happens in the plot in probably three sentences if someone asked me. The majority of it focuses on character development which is done incredibly well but makes for a slow-paced book. I anticipate a lot of action in the final installment, especially since I’ve skimmed some of Bardugo’s answers to fan questions that are included in my paperback copy and she mentioned that she had to move two major scenes from this book into the final one to shorten the length and make the pacing better.

Alina continues to be a likeable character for me. I loved her transformation from the uncertain, skittish girl in book one to someone who has embraced her power and has found her self-confidence in book two. Her bravery is such a highlight of the book and her struggle with how the world sees her and who they expect her to be compared to who she actually is is so relatable. However, Mal’s character made me feel so many conflicting emotions. He frustrated me a lot and I often felt tired of his childish behavior although it made sense why he chose the actions that he did. I can’t say I’m a fan of the romance so far but we’ll see how I feel by the final book. Nikolai, the pirate (ahem, I mean privateer) that isn’t all that he seems at first, is by far one of my favorite characters in the series. He had me giggling more than once with his one-liners and his ease of charisma. I love characters with layers and it’s easy to see that he has so much potential in so many ways so I’m eager to see where the final book takes him. And then the Darkling, our favorite antagonist. I have to admire his determination and the strength of his beliefs. He’s willing to go as far as it takes to do what he thinks is right and even when he’s doing things that could make your skin crawl, there is so much allure to his character.

Lastly, I have to say I love the Saint angle these books have taken. Although I’m not Catholic, I’ve learned plenty about the religion in school and its influence throughout history. The way the people have rallied around Sankta Alina and have so much faith in her is really cool to read about and I love the historical fiction tastes that it adds to the pages.

I’m going to take a pit stop to read “The Tailor” short story that’s included in my paperback and then I will be onto the final book in this trilogy. I can’t wait. 

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