Reread 2019

Still agree with 90% of my review from 2017. Mal though...I didn’t remember it being this bad lol or I was a naive little thing and didn’t think his behaviour was toxic or abusive. It’s a lot more clearer this time around and it annoyed me a lot. And not just Mal either. Alina is just as frustrating to read about. I get she’s in love with Mal, but she becomes so obsessed with someone who obviously doesn’t care for her and purposely hurts her to make her feel worse. She also doesn’t treat Mal any better, trying to make him her servant and forcing him to change into someone he doesn’t want to be. They’re both not so great characters and I don’t get the romance? Alina is very fickle with her emotions. One second she’s like “he doesn’t want me, my life is over, he can go and I don’t care” and the next second she’s like “omg he wants me now, we can be together finally yay”. And then we have the Darkling who is just as creepy as he always was. Nikolai is still my favourite though, despite how he’s trying to use Alina, at least he’s out front with her.

***

I wasn't sure what to rate this book. While I really enjoyed it, it was a little slow at times and I felt like something was missing. I can't put my finger on it, but there was just something that wasn't there. After thinking about it, I think I'm going to rate this a 4/5 stars.

The beginning of Siege and Storm was really great. I loved seeing Alina and Mal together as they're trying to start a new life. It was difficult to see how much Alina was struggling physically and mentally though, but they are so very adorable together :) I had a feeling we'd hear or see the Darkling soon, but I wasn't expecting it to be THAT soon. The second Alina and Mal got back to their lodgings, I knew something was up, but I honestly thought they would be able to handle it. They were just settling into their new home and I really wanted them to be happy for a few seconds lol

But then the Darkling arrives and we see that he's created this crazy shadow army, called the nichevo'ya. And then one of them bites Alina and she blacks out...One thing I still can't understand is how people like the Darkling?? Like everything he does is horrible! I get he cares about Alina, in his own dark, creepy, macabre way, but like you don't treat someone that way.

Darkling: *hurts Alina*
Also Darkling: "We're so alike. We're meant for each other."
Me: *throws up*

And it gets worse. He then threatens to torture Alina if Mal doesn't find the Sea Whip...like no please go to hell and burn there for eternity

Everything that follows gave me major Pirates of the Caribbean vibes and it was great! When Sturmhond was first introduced, as well as Tamar and Tolya, I knew there was more to them. So when Sturmhond starts a coup against the Darkling I was just jumping up and down screaming YES YES YES! It literally took me two seconds to fall in love with Sturmhond's sassiness and he has to be my favourite character in the trilogy so far!

Alina kills the Sea Whip and makes another amplifier and they're off to Ravka again. When Sturmhond was revealed to be Nikolai, the bastard prince, I was a little surprised, but at the same time it made so much sense. I loved him even more, though I was a bit suspicious in the beginning. Then as Alina settles into the Little Palace and we see more of Nikolai, I just started falling in love. Nikolai was giving me major George Cooper (in his younger days) vibes and I WAS LIVING FOR IT

Things started to slow down here somewhat. It was a lot of waiting and planning and seeing Alina trying to figure out more about Morozova's amplifiers etc. I did like seeing more of David. I feel like he went through a little character growth in here and it broke my heart to see Genya at the end. I liked seeing the Grisha getting along with each other and working together and Alina really seemed to be making so much progress with the Second Army and preparing them for the coming battle.

The one thing that bothered me was when she kept what she was feeling hidden from Mal. One of the major reasons their relationship is so messy is because neither of them have good communication skills. The scene when Mal comes into Alina/Darkling's room and tells her that he wanted her to tell him to stay and not go, it just broke my heart, but at the same time made me a little frustrated. I get that a lot of what Alina does and says is somewhat affected by the bond she now has between the Darkling and definitely the bite from the Nichevo'ya. You can see that by her anger and impatience, and her need for more power. She's getting more and more like the Darkling. I don't exactly blame her cause everything is complicated. And I know Mal is trying to understand. I wish she could have told Mal about how she sees the Darkling sometimes. But she does realize in the end that things are different now. She isn't the same Alina she was, and she can't go back now. And she also can't force Mal to be someone who he isn't. I just hope things work out in the end cause their relationship drives me a bit crazy, but I like it at the same time.

I also wanted to talk about Tamar and Tolya. I really loved them both and they reminded me of the Shang warriors from The Song of the Lioness and Protector of the Small. The only problem I have is that I don't understand why they decided to join the Apparat and the pilgrims. It seemed kind of random. There was a stark switch in their behaviour from being regular mercenaries for hire, to almost worshiping Alina and holding their breath at her every word. It just seemed kind of contrived. They went from being individuals to just kind of blending in with the other pilgrims.

The pilgrims, in general, really annoyed me too. And I honestly don't know how Alina just sits there being okay with people calling her Sankta. I think I'd personally explode and yell at everyone and tell them to shut up and stop. But whatever lol

Going back to Nikolai. I really feel like there's something between him and Alina. I feel like he understands her and doesn't fear her as much as Mal does, and he's also sensible and cares for Ravka and his people. I really like those qualities in him. Not that Mal doesn't have good qualities. I feel like everything he does, is for Alina, which is nice, but he's lost his way, which also has to do with doing everything for Alina. I hope he finds his way by the end of the third book, and comes into his own. Everything is just so complicated that I don't even know how to words my thoughts.

The ending was just terrible, but in a good, exciting, I-can't-stop-reading kind of way. I really hated Vasily from the beginning. When he showed up to meet Nikolai and Nikolai shut him down by recognizing one of the soldiers, I died cause it was great! I loved seeing Nikolai messing with Vasily. Like when he invited him into the war council and gave him all the paperwork. When he was killed by the Nichevo'ya, I'll admit I celebrated. He just never cared about anyone or anything except himself.

The final scene in the chapel was a little confusing. I had to reread it twice to understand what Alina did. I will admit I was excited to see the Darkling again. True, I hate him with a passion, but he is a great villain. Seeing what he did to Genya though made me so angry. I knew when she refused to come with Alina back on the ship that she was going to be punished, but for some reason I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. I can't even imagine the pain she went through. Alina got bit once, but Genya was just covered in bites. And seeing David just run towards her broke my heart. I hate the Darkling so much more.

The ending of the book was definitely a huge change from the middle. I felt like the middle was a little slow and boring at times. I just wanted more action to take place and we finally got that near the end. I'm excited to see how this trilogy ends! I just hope it has a good, satisfying ending, cause I know many people didn't like the last book.