"I am not ruined. I am ruination."

4.5 stars

I love this series. Love it.

That being said, the very end of this book was slightly disappointing for me. Warning: incoming long rant.

One big source of my disappointment comes from the romantic aspect of the story. I am not a Mal/Alina shipper at all. In Shadow and Bone he tells her that he realized his feelings after she left with the Darkling. And she just kind of accepts this and is all happy that he's noticing her as something other than a little sister/friend. Meanwhile, every time the Darkling or her power is brought up, he gets sulky and jealous. I don't like that. I don't really like the whole "I never realized how much I loved you until you were gone" trope.

In Siege and Storm, I really, REALLY disliked his character. He was whiny, petulant, moody, and judgmental. I really just wanted Alina to tell him to get lost. It doesn't help that I absolutely ADORE Nikolai, and think that Nikolai and Alina should've been endgame. He is such a wonderful character. He's sassy, sarcastic, smart, a little morally grey, but ultimately has very noble intentions. And did I mention pirate? Er, privateer... ;) Anyway, he and Alina complement each other so well, and he is not intimidated by her power like Mal is. Nikolai accepts the woman she is developing into while it feels like Mal wants her to just stay the little girl who trailed after him like a puppy dog while he was busy hooking up with anything in a skirt (or robe, in the case of the Grisha).

In Ruin and Rising, I actually liked Mal a little more because their relationship had changed back into more of a friendship because they both thought a romantic relationship was not in the cards for them. I didn't even mind their intimate scene near the end because we are told that he is planning on sacrificing himself to help defeat the Darkling, so I was hoping that meant that she would give Nikolai a shot...assuming they could drive the evil dark winged creature out of him...and when she actually kills him, I was pretty impressed. Not many YA series kill off the main love interest/character in the end...and then she kills the Darkling in what was one of the saddest villain deaths I think I've ever read.

...sigh...

And then Mal is brought back to life...ugh.
I'm sorry, but that felt like a bit of a copout to me. And miracle of miracles! Now that her power is gone, they can live happily ever after! Because now, she's 'normal' again. >:(
I really disliked this last part of the story. For me, this whole series was about a young girl, who had always been overshadowed by everyone around her. Throughout the story this girl develops into a strong, independent, powerful woman who has the ability to save an entire civilization from a corrupt would-be leader. And at the very end, after she had vanquished said leader, she decides to fake her death and go back into the shadows so she can be with the boy she's had a crush on since they were kids.

I'm usually all on board with whoever the endgame couple is supposed to be. This is actually the ONLY series I can think of where the main character didn't end up with the person I wanted. I actually feel like Leigh Bardugo wrote Mal as the jilted third side of the triangle that we see in so many other series, which is probably why I never warmed up to him.

Okay, rant over.

Now that I got all that off my chest, I LOVED this series as a whole, despite my feelings about Mal. Leigh Bardugo is an amazing storyteller. The world she creates is complex, but not difficult to understand. The way she explains the abilities as science rather than Magic is something I really appreciated. The writing is so beautiful, so poetic. I love it.
Her characters are well-developed and engaging. I really enjoy all of the side characters and their relationships. Genya, David, Tamar, Tolya, Nadia, Aldrik, Bahgra, Misha...they were all great. Even Zoya, who I couldn't stand in book one and didn't know if I could trust in book two, was amazing. I loved Zoya in this book. Her banter with everyone, but especially Alina, was great. I loved the sisterhood aspect of this story. Whenever one of them was struggling, the others would rally around her to offer comfort and support. That is what female friendships SHOULD be like!
Some of turns in this book were shocking. When the Darkling infected Nikolai (for lack of a better word) with his Darkness, Bahgra sacrificing herself, so many character deaths...oh my goodness. So many feelings.

Like I said, all in all, I love this series and can't wait to start Six of Crows! I will read any and everything I can get my hands on by this wonderful author.