A good closing to the story with third book, but still not great. I struggled through much of Siege and Storm with its problematic and erratic pacing, and it never felt like Bardugo knew what she wanted from Alina. But Ruin and Rising, Alina was figured out. It was like Bardugo figured out what she wanted Alina to be, and got her there. She wasn't 100% one way or another, or even another... but she felt like a character I could understand and support, not just wish here trials and tribulations were over so I could move on. There were some things I wish were touched upon more in this book, like Nikolai's plight, but overall the book does a good job of bringing the series to an end and made me feel like pushing through the 2nd book was worth it. Overall I give this book a 3.5 out of 5.