Ruin and Rising is the conclusion to the Grisha trilogy that started with Shadow and Bone and continued with Siege and Storm.

Right from the get go, I'm so glad that this book didn't suffer from some of the stale nothingness that happened in Siege and Storm. I was a bit afraid that Alina and gang would be a long time in the Apparat's caves while Alina figured things out but all of that was done and dusted in the matter of the first chapter and I really loved that. There was a lot more action in this one as well, and I really liked seeing everyone in action. I also think we got to have a look at some of the other Grisha a lot closer than in Siege and Storm like Zoya, Nadia and Harsham (and Oncat). I loved the dynamic that blossomed and continued to grow in our little Grisha group and I adored the few genuine moments between some of them, like when Alina shared the dresses and the rings with Tamar, Nadia, Genya and Zoya and they all just got to be girls for a while.

Okay, so I have been very focal about all the ways I didn't like Mal in the previous two books but I have to eat my socks now and say that this book totally turned him around for me. I had a bit of a problem of how he just didn't accept Alina for all she was in the other books, and how I felt like she would have to give up her power to be with him, and that whole message (girl giving something up just to be with a guy) doesn't sit well with me, Mal definitely improved so much. He treated Alina so mucch better and respected her for who she was. He no longer seemed to punish her for something she couldn't control which is what I hated in the other books. I will always have a bit of a warped thing for the Darkling, but I get why she didn't choose Nikolai in the end. Their relationship, while sweet at times, wasn't as genuine and it always had that political gains string to it. I think Alina would have always wondered if Nikolai liked her for her, or for the power she could give him as his Queen.

There was definitely something a little bit bittersweet about the ending of this trilogy. While they won, Alina lost something huge in herself. I would love another series about Nikolai as well and how he dealt with the aftermath of what happened to him. I also just want more Nikolai all the time.