Another Leigh Bardugo book, another five star read.

I have to say I found the middle a bit boring. I know it has to be there, because it bridged the beginning and the end, but it was definitely the weak link. The beginning as interesting and the ending was exceptional, but the middle was meh.

I don't get why everyone is gushing of Nikolai. He seems "normal" to me. I don't find him swoon-worthy, only manipulative. He is smart though. I just don't feel the need to be obsessed with him. I also like Mal, contrary to a lot of Goodteaders. Both Mal and Nik were justified in their beliefs and what they are doing, and in a way the Darkling is too. There's something about the way the author writes characters that makes them seem like fully fleshed t characters with traceable reasons and motivation for their actions. Because of this I can't hate them too much an I can see their point of view even if Alone can't. Mal was justified in his feelings even if she couldn't see it. Nikolai was just spoiled and manipulative, which makes sense given his backstory but he is not attractive. I could go on and on about Bardugo's ability to write characters but I'm a bit too lazy and no one wants to read all of that.

The next thing I'm goin on a miny rant about is the themes! I love how she used power in this book. She showed all of its sides. How it draw people away, inspire people, turn them into monsters. It was all there. I loved it particularly because I've been doing research on the influence of superheroes and Alina being called a saint fall right into what my point is about how they can inspire in various ways. Alina might not be a superhero, but she has powers and she influenced the people in the book in a similar way the stories about Barman and Wonder Woman can influence us (if you want to know more let me know because I'm planning a big discussion video on the impact of stories and superheroes and whatnot).

The ending, as I've mentioned before was perfect. Not only did it serve as some research for me but it also served the book well, building stakes for the third novel. Leigh Bardugo has an amazing gift and it is apparent here.

Also I like how the new covers are starting to make a bit more sense.

Finally my copy included The Tailor. My mini review for that can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2466593789