This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019, and I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed it. It did take me a while to get through, however, and that’s mostly because fasting made me really tired and not feel like reading. I think, in hindsight, I would have loved this book even more if I had read it in a few sittings, instead of taking almost three weeks.

The writing…I was literally blown away. There is just something deliciously poetic and tangible about the words that Nafiza weaves together. It made the world feel so rich and colourful. I was reminded a lot of The City of Brass, especially the setting that this story takes place in. Every little detail was a joy to read about. The bazaars, the food, the social interactions, the clothing, the myriad of cultures all living together so peacefully. The religion. I saw aspects of my life and my culture and my faith in everything, and I think it will always be a novelty for me, no matter how much I see it.

My one complaint is the way the multiple POVs were organized. I loved every single POV, don’t get me wrong. It added something unique and necessary to the story, and I felt like I could really get to know the characters and their motivations and feelings. But the POVs would switch within the chapter, and sometimes that was a little jarring. I think I’m just used to POVs switching between chapters, but it wasn’t something that affected my reading experience too much.

Another thing that stood out to me was the first-person narrative. I’m not used to seeing that in fantasy, so it did take a while to get used to and at times felt awkward. I found that a lot of sentences felt repetitive in the sense that they all began with “Fatima Ghazala thinks…” and then “Fatima Ghazala wishes…” It made reading a little choppy at times. Also, the characters ask a lot of internal questions, and I felt like those sentences could have been taken out or reduced and left to the reader’s imagination.

I want to get back to the world because I really enjoyed every aspect of it. Seeing Fatima Ghazala’s everyday life before we actually get hit with the main plot of the story was so refreshing. There is just something about routine that I love, especially when it’s with things I can relate to. Fatima Ghazala waking up to do wudhu and pray Fajr. Her sister Sunaina making roti. The walk through Noor, seeing the busy streets, the vendors, the food and wares that are being sold. THE MITHAI. I was drooling while reading this book and now all I want is jalebi. Zulfikar’s obsession with gulab jamun is hilarious to me, and I don’t know why. Also, these people are always eating mithai and I want that life tbh. And besides all of that…I loved the glimpses we saw of how the city of Noor is run through Zulfikar and Aarush’s POVs. I really wish we had gotten more in-depth politics because I love that stuff, but this story is really about the characters.

My only complaint is, I wish the book came with a map. I had trouble visualizing where everything was, and a map would have been a perfect addition to keep things straight in my head.

Now, onto the huge cast of characters. I don’t even know where to start.

The Alif sisters…At first, I thought they weren’t going to be super important to the story and that I would just get confused with who was who, but they all have really unique personalities and are honestly such good friends to Fatima Ghazala. They were the lightness that this book needed, especially with how dark things got later on. I loved Adila the most. She’s sensible and a great confidante to Fatima Ghazala, and I love when she was there for her no matter what, even to the point of telling her that it’s okay if she wants to say no last minute and not get married. She’s the friend that everyone honestly needs. Azizah was adorable, and I really loved the whole little side-plot with her crush on Bilal. It was resolved in such a perfect way. I feel like Amirah was the only one of the sisters who we didn’t get much from, but she seems more like the quiet one among the three. Ali and Asma were also so sweet. I loved how protective and caring they were and how they took Fatima Ghazala in with open arms when she had no one left. They wanted the best for her, and yet they didn’t force her to do what they wanted, or thought was best, and left important decisions up to her.

Sunaina…I didn’t love her at first. After what Fatima overhears during Deepavali, and then Sunaina calling her a monster. It made sense because Fatima is no longer Fatima, and it’s not an easy thing to accept all of a sudden. A lot of changes happen all at once and the tension between them makes sense. Though Sunaina saying that Fatima was a burden still irked me a bit even after they reconciled. But then we get my absolute favourite scene between Sunaina and Bhavya (which I’ll get into later), that showed a unique perspective to both their stories. I related to both of them so much, and it wasn’t just that. I had friends messaging me saying “THIS IS YOU” and I was like “Yes, yes, it is me and I’m reading it in a book, this feels so surreal.” I really loved how Sunaina is so talented with making cosmetics. I feel like it’s an occupation that you don’t really see characters in books holding, and I sort of hope she can open her own shop one day right beside Fatima Ghazala’s bookstore.

Zulfikar. I was really not for this ship in the beginning. You guys know how picky I am when it comes to romance, and while I got that both were attracted to each other, I was still a little annoyed cause I knew it was going to lead to romance, and I’m not a fan lol

But wow did that change very quickly. I will admit, that if I had read this book in a couple sittings, I might have enjoyed their relationship more. That being said, the last 1/3 of the book, really changed my whole opinion about this and I ended up falling in love (a little).

One thing that did annoy me about the relationship with Zulfikar and Fatima Ghazala was how Fatima Ghazala was always asserting her independence and her lack of need for protection. It’s something that I see a lot in female characters in books; the whole need to state how they don’t need to answer to anyone and can do whatever they want, and if they somehow don’t do these things, they’re lacking the agency a good female character needs to be likeable. Fatima Ghazala literally knows nothing about anything that is happening to her, and Zulfikar is the only one who seems to know a little and is trying to keep her and everyone else safe, yet she’s still prickly towards him. I guess in hindsight it makes sense because she doesn’t trust many people and she’s been through a lot, but it did bug me at times.

Besides that, I did enjoy their interactions for the most part. The romance between the two was awkward and I could sense the whole “denial of feelings” thing happening. But then we get the appearance of a past lover and I really thought this whole thing was going to become a love triangle with lots of drama, but I was actually surprised by how Zulfikar handled this situation with so much maturity. He recognized he wasn’t the same man he was before, and that he had feelings for Fatima Ghazala, so going back to his past would be an insult to the kind of man he has become. That whole thing was resolved really well.

And then we have the marriage bond. I actually sort of screamed when this was brought up, but again this was done really well. We see that Fatima Ghazala isn’t sure if she has feelings for Zulfikar, but at the same time she’s hurt that he only wants to marry her because it’ll help his people, until he confesses that he does have feelings for her, but then she’s like “no, I think it’s my fire that’s make you feel this way”, but they decide to do it anyway, cause it’s the right thing to do. I was freaking out a little.

The scene with Adila where she asks Fatima Ghazala if she loves him and she replies with:

“Not yet. If he walks away from me right now, it will hurt, but it will be nothing I won’t recover from. If I marry him, I will have to trust him with not just my body but also my heart. That scares me more than the Shayateen do.”

That is literally a whole mood if I can say so myself. We do see Fatima Ghazala sort of denying her feelings towards Zulfikar, but it made sense considering everything she has gone through and lost.

Then we have the wedding and I actually died. It was so perfect and exactly like the weddings I’ve attended and seeing that in a book was just something I never thought would happen ever. It might seem something little to scream about, but I was so happy. Also, I totally died when both Fatima Ghazala and Zulfikar reached for the same gulab jamun. They’re so cute omg

AND THEN I LOVE ALL THE CONSENT. When Fatima Ghazala is not sure about this whole marriage thing and whether it’s going to be a “true one” or not. And Zulfikar is honest and is like, well I sort of want it to be a true one, “BUT IF YOU DON’T, I WILL RESPECT YOUR WISHES.” And he says a bunch of cheesy stuff, which made me roll my eyes, but okay, it’s cute, I guess, and Fatima Ghazala almost dies from blushing.

The marriage bond was really beautiful. I liked how they could sense each other’s emotions, but not their thoughts. It didn’t feel invasive, especially considering that they could both block that part off if they wanted to be completely alone. It just added something magical and pure to the whole bond and I really surprisingly appreciated that.

Before I talk about the end, I really want to discuss the other women in this book. There is something about have strong women who step up and deal with things when the men are useless that just makes my blood sing with joy.

I really hated Bhavya. She’s a spoiled brat for the most part and expected everything to be handed to her. She complained constantly and was just annoying. Her obsession with the Emir resulted in her doing a lot of stupid things, and she was just so petty sometimes. But we really get to see why she is the way she is. And that goes back to the whole scene between her and Sunaina. It really made me feel for her character and by the end I was seriously impressed with how much she had grown throughout this book.

We have this whole scene where Sunaina asks Bhavya if she actually loves the Emir and Bhavya replies with:

“He is an escape. Being with him would mean no one would push me around to behave in a certain manner or be a certain way.”

It really goes to explain Bhavya’s actions. She lives in a beautiful cage, and people don’t seem to understand why she’s so angry and bitter and ungrateful. We see her trying to break out of this cage through the only marriage that would set her free. And then we see Sunaina, who’s story is kind of the opposite to Bhavya’s.

Sunaina says:

“I was with a man simply because I was expected to be in some sort of a relationship with one. I suppose I still am. I just don’t care about expectations anymore…I didn’t want to marry him, so I told people that Fatima was an obstacle to the wedded bliss I didn’t really want…I thought if I tried hard enough, I would be able to love him. If I pretended hard enough, I would. I wanted to love him. Being with him felt normal. It felt like the natural progression in my life, in any woman’s life. You grow up a daughter to become a wife and later a mother. I couldn’t accept it in the end. I couldn’t accept him or the idea of marriage. I felt suffocated when I thought about marrying him. He felt wrong. All men do."

And then Bhavya explains how Sunaina is lucky that she has a choice, that she can choose not to marry. But she herself, is a Rajkumari and doesn’t have that luxury. “Having the Emir on my side would mean freedom. A limited sort of freedom but freedom anyway. I wish I wasn’t a girl. I wish I had been born a boy. Then no one would have been able to force me to do things I don’t want to do.”

All I can say is that this hit me right in the heart. I haven’t seen truer words ever written in a book before. And honestly, this scene changed this whole book for me and made me fall in love with the messages it leaves the reader with.

Then we have Aruna. I loved her the second she appeared in this book and I will say this for everyone in the back. I STAN ONE QUEEN AND IT IS MAHARANI ARUNA. She is a badass in disguise. Her whole story, every part of it, was just incredible and so empowering. To see a woman rise up to her position after having gone through so much, but yet remain humble and loving and caring. She passed on her jewels to Fatima Ghazala…and it made me want to cry cause that’s the kind of relationships I want to see. I want to see women standing up and supporting each other. And this was just so perfect in every way.

Okay, the ending…It didn’t feel rushed to me, like I think it did for some. The politics and rebellion were sort of glossed over. We didn’t get an in-depth look at it, and lot of it was resolved off the page, but I felt like that suited this story really well. We’re mostly focused on the characters and how they react to everything, and I think if we had focused too much on the politics and rebellion that was brewing, it would have taken away from the character development.

Bhavya really took charge of the last couple chapters of this book. I was so proud of her character development. Like I said before, we see all these women take charge for the mistakes the men have made in their lives. AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND. We see Bhavya make some difficult choices, while trying to rein in her emotions and anger. She does what needs to be done, which her brother couldn’t do because he was weak. And we see Aruna go in Aarush’s place to take petitions from the people. She doesn’t use words, but silence to get everyone to take her seriously, and she doesn’t just do what her husband’s job is, she also scouts out the real traitors in her court. It was such an empowering scene and I just love how strong she is. I seriously would love a book all about her. And then we get to the end, where Aarush is sulking and Aruna doesn’t just pat him on the shoulder and say “there, there”, she tells him the truth and how he’s failed not just his family but the whole country because of his indecision and lack of ability to make difficult choices. She tells him what he doesn’t want to hear and then leaves like a true Queen and I was cheering every second.

We even see the Raees make the difficult choice of killing her son for betraying not just her, but their entire race. And of course, we have Fatima Ghazala, killing a part of her own soul to save the rest of the country from the Shayateen. I just loved all these strong women standing up and fixing everything. It was everything I wanted from this book.

I’m going to end off with a beautiful quote from Zulfikar. I did really like how their relationship was resolved. We see not just Fatima Ghazala, but also Bhavya and Sunaina struggling with the aftermath of what happened. And I really appreciated seeing that things weren’t just back to normal. They’re still suffering mentally and emotionally, and it’s going to take a while to heal and they might never go back to the way things are. Fatima Ghazala cutting herself off from her friendships and relationships felt like a normal reaction to everything she had gone through, and that final scene with Zulfikar was exactly what she needed to be told.

“That is what makes you good, habibti. Only monsters kill without regard to the life they are taking. You are not a monster.”

Overall, giving this 4/5 stars. An incredible read, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Reread – May 2019

It's funny how your opinions about a book change when you reread. I found the writing to be a little annoying? I'm not a fan of first person, and it just bothered me how a lot of sentences started with "I..." It made the writing not flow that well. I've heard Leigh Bardugo's writing does improve in her later books, so I'm looking forward to seeing that.

My opinion on the Darkling has no changed. He's horrible and I absolutely hate him.

Mal is well...not great? I don't "hate" him, but I don't love him as much as I did the first time around. He's definitely problematic, and I don't like some of the things he says and the way he says them.

Alina is also not a favourite. I found her annoying and just bland and kind of stupid at times. The only character I loved was Genya. And the Darkling does make for a good villain, even if he gives me the creeps.

I just want Nikolai though.

***

Wow this was a good read! I absolutely loved the world that Leigh has created - there were hints of Tamora Pierce there, and knowing that Leigh is a fan of her books made me so happy!! I really liked Alina as a character. She's complex and multi-faceted...I just really felt for her and I love that about a character. I knew the Darkling was evil going into this (cause spoilers from everyone lol), but I really fell for him. Then when it was revealed what his real plans were, I almost didn't want to believe it. Everything took a turn then and I honestly don't understand how people love the Darkling??? Like what is there to love about him? I've started Siege and Storm and literally there's nothing to redeem his character. He's terrifying, cruel, and a monster. And I hate him so much that I'm getting flashbacks from when I read Order of the Phoenix for the first time and discovered Umbridge's character. Nope nope nope. I can't stand his creepiness. But the story was interesting and it made me want to know what would happen next! It did feel a bit slow for a lot of it, mostly cause Alina was learning Grisha theory and her powers, but I never felt bored and flew through it!

I'm more disappointed in this book than I was reading ACOMF...and that's saying something.

The premise sounds interesting right...20th century England, but with magic. Merlin is alive and well (not our precious BBC Merlin, but whatever) – technically ruling alongside the Queen of England. We have the London Season about to start, all these grand parties and the huge Bal du Drap d'Or. What could go wrong?

Pretty much everything.

(ALSO...I spoil everything, but this is so you don't have to read this book. Also trigger warning for rape)

I want to start off by talking about the writing. It was bad 95% of the time. The 5% of the time that it was actually good was only when the author was describing stuff – the beautiful dresses, the parties, the scene etc. But the rest of the time, I had to keep checking to make sure this book was actually written by a woman and not a man.

"Her voice was a woman's voice, full of promise and seduction."

and this...

"Her décolletage looked fabulous if she said so herself, her breasts powdered and pushed up by her corset into two pale, plump mounds. Leo is a fool, she said to herself. That skinny Marie may wear the crown, but she'll never boast a chest as magnifique as this."

I mean...seriously. Just look at that. Who even wrote this?? On top of that, the dialogue felt choppy and unrealistic, almost like the author was putting words into these characters' mouths, instead of letting them speak the way they wanted to. Sometimes it was too formal, other times it was too casual, sometimes a character would say something you would never expect them to, other times it was like who is this character and why has she suddenly changed??

Speaking of the characters – there were waaay too many POVS. And I hated all of them.

Beginning with Marie-Victoria, the daughter of the Queen, about to be married to Prince Leo of Prussia (as part of an agreement to end a war b/w the countries). Then we have Aelwyn, daughter of the Merlin, who has just come back to London to become a servant to the Crown. Then we have Ronan, an American girl, whose family is actually poor, but pretending to be rich, who has come to London for the Season with the hopes of landing herself a rich husband. And then we have Isabelle, formerly betrothed to Prince Leo of Prussia, before he had to end things to marry Marie, who is also coming to London for the season. And lastly, we have Wolf, the brother of Prince Leo, who likes to punch people in his spare time (he boxes/fights?) and play strip poker otherwise.

All the characters are self-obsessed, vain, and petty. They only care about themselves and their looks and whether any of the men in their lives like them. They all fall in love in the space of a couple pages and then decide nope, they were wrong, and fall in love with someone else a page later. It was honestly so bad, I was rolling my eyes the entire time.

Ronan bumps into Wolf on the ship over to London, except Wolf doesn't say who he actually is. He manages to convince her to play strip poker, which she at first says no to, but then decides to be a bit more "spontaneous" and agrees. They "fall in love" because according to Wolf, Ronan isn't like any other girl he's met. She's spunky and confident and doesn't care about what anyone thinks, yet he seems to ignore how distraught she was over not getting first-class on the ship and how worried she was that people would find out she's actually poor. And honestly, the only thing Ronan saw in Wolf was "ooh dangerous handsome man, who has a secret past" and fell in love immediately.

Marie-Victoria is secretly in love with Gill, who is pretty much her body guard. And while this relationship could have gone well, it didn't. I didn't feel much for the two of them, probably cause there's so many characters that you never get to know any of them really well. She decides to run away with Gill, managing to convince Aelwyn to disguise herself as Marie (with magic) – and while Aelwyn likes Prince Leo (cause he's handsome), I still found this to be super selfish of Marie (especially since she doesn't give off the selfish vibe usually), considering that if either of them are caught, they'll probably be killed. But of course, before she can run off with Gill properly and marry him, she discovers the plot to blow up the castle, and ditches Gill cause she suddenly realizes her "duty" towards her country. I guess that's sort of relatable? I mean, its definitely more realistic for a princess to realize that she doesn't have a lot of freedom and probably never will, but her status as princess and one day a Queen, allows her to make a lot of changes that she couldn't make as a regular person. But Marie literally sees some homeless people and eats some regular food from an inn and is like wow life sucks for everyone except me, then almost gets mugged by some boys and then gets saved by Wolf and goes off to save the day. At some point, she also gains the confidence to stand up to herself.

Isabelle's story is kind of sad, but also not? I mean her stupid guardian, Hugh, is a creep and a pedophile, who keeps touching her even though she doesn't want to be touched. Yup...that happened. She's betrothed to Prince Leo (before he's engaged to Marie-Victoria), and when he comes to visit her manor, he manages to "convince her" (I'm calling this rape though, cause she literally says in the book that she said no multiple times and he didn't stop) to sleep with him. And that's pretty much their relationship. We later found out that Isabelle decided to pick the lesser of two evils: it was either Hugh or Leo. So she went with Leo, with the hopes that he could protect her from Hugh. And that's sad. On top of that, after Leo is engaged to Marie, he wants to keep Isabelle as a mistress, rapes her again (pretty much), and then Isabelle realizes that Leo sucks and she needs to end this. She ends it, her cousin Louis expresses how he loves her, she turns him away, gets jealous when Louis ends up sleeping with some other pretty, rich girl. Then professes her love to him when he's about to die, and decides she was always in love with him and they plan to get married and run off to his small estate, where they can raise the child she's pregnant with (aka Prince Leo's baby), but then guess what happens at the end of the book... I'll talk about that later.

Aelwyn is ehh. Honestly she wasn't that fleshed out. She went along with Marie's plan because Leo was attractive and she's always been jealous of Marie for having everything. Then she realizes who Leo is and kills him in one second, cause did I forget to mention? She's really powerful. Oh and some stupid guy in Avalon (where she was banished after she almost killed Marie when she was little), manipulated her into falling in love with him, had sex with her, and then got bored and left her.

So yeah...the men all suck in this book. And the women aren't any better.

Honestly, the only good men were the one gay couple (Archie and I don't remember his name sorry I suck), were nice and funny. Louis was good too, except somehow he falls in love with some random girl and wants to marry her, then decides to have a duel with Prince Leo, wins and runs off with Isabelle. So????

Wolf was okay. I felt like he honestly didn't have a good eye when it came to woman, since he fell in love with Ronan. But I liked his relationship with Marie, since they're childhood friends. When Prince Leo died, and Wolf became the heir, the marriage between him and Marie was something I could get behind. Obviously they don't love each other, but they have a good, pure friendship, which is better than nothing, plus he is nice when he isn't convincing women to play strip poker?? Lol, I'm making him sound worse than he is. When he called Ronan over to the palace to tell her he can't actually marry her, I died of laughter cause Ronan deserved it. I will say, he turned on his brother a lot quicker than I thought he would, but Leo is a piece of shit...

The ending was so weird. Like imagine reading a book that you absolutely hate, and then with 5% left, everything exciting and interesting that could possibly happens, happens. It tied up so nicely that I was left rolling eyes again.

Isabelle runs off with Louis and her unborn child, so they can get married. Hugh is pissed cause he wants her. So he gets his mercenary men to attack them, kills off Louis, and then forces Isabelle to marry him because she has no one and is pregnant. And it ends off with Isabelle saying she's going to marry him and once her child is born, she'll stab Hugh with a knife she keeps in her drawer, and then run away. And guess what happens? Just that lol. It's described in one sentence during Marie's wedding to Wolf. She runs off to a cottage and decides to raise her son (who just so happens to be as charming as Prince Leo was) on her own.

Ronan doesn't go back to New York. Becomes a secretary for some rich woman and starts her own hat business? I didn't know she could sew that well, but okay...

Aelwyn and Marie are sisters. SURPRISE. The Merlin apparently foresaw this whole book. And the Queen also had a dream that her future daughter would betray her, so they decided that the Queen would have two daughters, one from Merlin (aka Aelwyn) and one from the seed of her dead husband (aka Marie), and based on some crystal ball, if they worked together it would prevent the whole world from exploding. And if they didn't end up working together, then the Merlin would have to step in. LIKE WOW

Also, the Merlin was poisoning Marie since she was a child because somehow her weakness would give her confidence later to become a good queen?

Someone please explain this to me, cause I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

So yeah, this book was terrible. I don't know how I finished it. Definitely not reading the next one. I'm very sorry about this review.

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.

Reread 2019:

I just didn’t care enough this time around. I wish there was more Nikolai and less Mal and Alina.

I will admit that the end did make me a little sad. But that was only because I chose to forget how problematic and annoying Mal can be. There were some sweet moments I guess? But then again, Mal is so inconsistent it’s really hard to decide how to feel.

I hate the Darkling even more and I don’t get the whole “he only wanted to save Ravka so it’s fine” mentality. He deserved a horrible death tbh

As for Nikolai...honestly he deserves so much credit for everything he does. He goes through hell and then immediately jumps back into the role of King and has to pull Ravka back together while also trying to stop the Fjerdans and Shu Han from invading and he’s dealing with the darkness and nightmares...I might actually go and find that Nikolai fanfic I wrote...

I’m having a lot of Nikolai feels.

Guess who finally gets to read Six of Crows though!!!

***

I don't even know if it's possible to review this. I'm literally a mess right now. I'm going through so many emotions I can't think straight.

I finished this a few minutes ago and I've been reading reviews...I feel kind of weird giving this book a 5 stars, especially since a lot of people were not happy with the way it ended.

This book was an emotional roller coaster of feels. I don't remember feeling this way ever. I was shaking, my heart was beating like crazy, I felt like I couldn't breathe, I was scared out of my mind. That's what you call good writing, good world building, good character development.

While Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm felt a little slow towards the middle, I found Ruin and Rising to be fast-paced and crazy non-stop. It went from one crazy battle to the next and I literally couldn't put the book down. The battle in the White Cathedral, the battle with the militia, the battle at the Spinning Wheel...Leigh Bardugo did an incredible job breaking apart the action with dialogue and reveals into Darkling's past. I was never bored. If I ever put the book down, it was because I couldn't handle what I was feeling.

I haven't really mentioned the world building in my previous reviews, so I wanted to mention it here. Usually I'm not a fan of mixing swords with guns lol. I know that's really weird, but I'm the kind of person who would rather go all out medieval than add a bit of modernity. But Leigh's world was beautifully written. I fell in love with the magic system - the Grisha powers - and the steampunk feels. I loved the Russian inspiration for Ravka, the words, the clothing, the architecture, the culture...it's so unique and something I've never read in a book. It's made me want to learn more. I loved the political aspect of this book a bit more than Siege and Storm too.

Speaking of politics...Nikolai. I'm absolutely in love with him! He's honestly just asdfghjkl There aren't words to describe how much I love his character. His snark and sass, his cleverness and resourcefulness, his selflessness...I'll admit I wasn't against Alina ending up with him, even though she didn't love him. I felt like she could have grown to love him, but then again, I feel like it was a decision I would have made if I were Alina. The series is written in first person, so I think that was why. I felt like I was Alina, but I also felt like myself. I love Mal too, but we'll get to that later. When the Darkling appeared at the Spinning Wheel and Nikolai disappeared, I couldn't breathe. When he was turned into a nichevo'ya (or whatever he wasn't turned into) I felt as if I was going to die. I've never been so distraught. When Alina's screaming and crying for him, I was broken. When she saw him afterwards, I wanted to stab the Darkling repeatedly. I read in a review that Alina didn't even try to save him. And I have to disagree. I think at that point she knew she had to make a choice, and finding the last amplifier was more important. Plus she couldn't have done anything. When Nikolai returned back to human form, and Alina visited him in Kribirsk and he asked her to stay cause she knew what it felt like inside, I wanted to cry. I can't imagine how alone Nikolai feels. He's lost everyone too. I'm glad that Alina and Mal stayed close at least. I just wish there could have been a happier ending for him.

Before I talk about Mal...I absolutely loved all the side characters. We really go to get to know them better in this book and I slowly grew to like them more and more...even Zoya. Seeing them work together, seeing Alina learning to trust them and depend on them and not internalize everything, was so beautiful.

Now to talk about the Darkling. I still don't understand how people like him or how they could ship him with Alina. He's abusive and violent and crazy...and that's me being nice. This book made me want to punch something. To take my anger out somehow. He never does anything to redeem himself. And yes, Baghra telling Alina the story of her past did shed some light on the Darkling. I get that he felt alone, and he felt that he was special and powerful. Maybe he did love Ravka. But everything he did was cruel. But then he's also hundreds of years old. His power kind of blocks him from regular human emotions, more so than the regular Grisha. He's just complex. And he's evil. He's a great villain. I loved feeling that anger and hatred towards him. Did he deserve to be burned along with Alina's "body" at the end? I don't know. I feel like I'll be able to better understand how I feel about him when I read this trilogy a second time.

Speaking of complex characters...I think Mal is one too. I saw people complaining that Mal is annoying and selfish and controlling, but I didn't see any of that. I saw someone who was scared and unsure. Someone who wanted things to be the way they were. For things to be simple for once. And I don't think what he felt was wrong. People said he only noticed Alina when she was beautiful, but I don't agree with that either. He did notice her, he always did, but he thought they were friends, and nothing more. He didn't know if she wanted anything more or what she really felt. Maybe he was scared that she wouldn't want him? Was he scared of her power? Yes. I would be too. It's a lot. It changed Alina in so many ways. I would wish for her power to be taken from her too. Cause everything was better when they were just hunter and cartographer. Again, I think their relationship and feelings towards each other is complex. It's something I'll probably think about for a while. I did love them together, and when I realized Mal was the amplifier (I kind of spoiled myself before reading this book, but I didn't know what that would mean) and what would have to be done, I started to shake and I didn't stop until almost close to the end. The scene where Alina stabs him hurt so bad. I felt like I was stabbed in the chest. When Tamar and Tolya brought him back, it was a huge relief. And the ending was just adorable and perfect.

There's still this element of sadness at the end. I feel like Leigh did an excellent job of describing the effects of war, and she kind of left a lasting impression of it in her writing. I still feel this sadness, but there's also this hope. A hope for better world.

I'm so happy I chose to read this series this year. I don't know if I'll get to Six of Crows right away. I don't think I've felt so many emotions in a long time (and that's with reading Fangirl and The Wrath and the Dawn recently too). I feel like I need a break. I need to save my money and buy the new paperback editions of this trilogy. Reread it. Cry inside (yes my heart is still half-ice). And then start SoC.

3/5 stars

I don't have too much to say. I did really enjoy this book, but I just don't feel as drawn to the characters as I would like to be? I don't see myself reading the sequel anytime soon, despite this book ending with a lot of unanswered questions. I feel like the book was sort of all over the place? Most of it was through Wil's perspective, but we'd occasionally got Gerdie's POV in the beginning, and then it sort of disappeared once the King got ill. We never found out if he died or not and what was up with Baren. Also, not a lot happened? We spent most of this book travelling and then Wil is injured and then Loom gets sick, and then they get caught, but they escape, and then spend more time travelling to find Pahn. There wasn't really a huge conflict resolution or even a rising action, besides the escape from the Southern palace? And I feel like Wil's motivations kind of shifted drastically from wanting to protect her kingdom, to now saving Loom. She's definitely still struggling with what she wants to do, but I wasn't a huge fan of the relationship. I can see the draw Loom's character would have, but I just wasn't feeling it. And we end with the whole "you're only attracted to each other cause you're both cursed" and then Wil is like "oh, I guess my feelings towards Loom aren't real and Loom probably doesn't truly feel this way about me" etc. etc. I just find this whole plot device overdone.

What I did enjoy was the writing. It was beautiful and descriptive, and one quote really took me off guard. I wasn't expecting to relate to it so much:

"Perhaps it's different for girls. We're told who we're meant to be, and we strive to be just that, even if we know it isn't right. Love is used as a weapon against us. When we don't do as we're told, it gets taken away, and when we do, it's returned again like a treasured doll."

I mean...this quote is just wow. It's so spot on I had to actually stop for a second and read it again and then feel sad cause of how true it is.

Also, world is so unique. I was a bit surprised how it blends modern technology like electricity with a sort of medieval/fantastical setting. It's nice to read a book where there's modern day tech but the setting isn't a post-apocalyptic world. I also loved the glimpse of alchemy and medicine we get. It was just interesting to read about.

My absolute favourite part was Wil's relationships with her brothers, Owen and Gerdie. It was so sweet and wholesome and pure and I just want more of this in books. I much preferred her relationship with them compared to Loom, and honestly I'm sad Gerdie isn't on this trip with her.

I have a lot of thoughts.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. It did sort of live up to the hype, but I still had a few things that bothered me/decreased the overall enjoyability of the book.

The writing was a huge step up from Shadow and Bone. I've realized that I'm not a fan of first person narrative style in fantasy. That, combined with how annoying Alina is. I just got tired of being in her head all the time. So, I really loved how Six of Crows was in third person.

Also the world building...I finally got to see what Ketterdam was like after years of hearing people talk about it constantly. It's such a unique setting, and despite how most of the book is set in the Ice Court, we get a pretty good idea of how things are run in the Barrel. The opening scene with Geels was probably one of my favourites. It was a great way to introduce the setting and the characters all in one. The different POVs also helped flesh out the world really well, and the cast of characters were diverse and unique. The Ice Court was also fascinating and getting to see more of Fjerda and how the druskelles work was really cool. The whole heist was amazing and fast-paced with plenty of twists I wasn't expecting, though I did have a couple of issues which I'll get into later.

I think my favourite POVs were Kaz and Inej. Especially Kaz. I wasn't expecting to get so much about his life before he became Kaz Brekker. But it was nice getting little glimpses here and there and seeing how everything connects and folds into the story. And I finally understood why everyone compares this series to Peaky Blinders. Kaz is literally Thomas Shelby and I love it so much! He just has this charisma about him that makes you want to root for him no matter what. He's cunning and clever and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. And nothing is too beneath him to use as leverage. I just love characters like this, though I will admit, seeing him break near the end, and not have everything perfectly planned out ruined this perfect imagine of him that I had in my head, though it does make him more human I guess.

Inej's past was closely intertwined with the plot, so I really liked seeing that too. I loved the moment when she realizes what her purpose will be after this heist is over. And I really hope she can get Heleen back for what she's done. Her friendship with Nina was so sweet. Honestly it was one of my favourite relationships in this book. I just love girls who love and support each other always.

The "romance" between Kaz and Inej didn't annoy me. The whole "I don't know if he feels for me the same way I feel for him (vice versa)" trope didn't make me cringe or anything. I could see the two of them together, but I agree with Inej at the end there. This isn't the life she would have chosen for herself, yet Kaz doesn't seem like he wants to start anew. Inej didn't have a choice, but with the money, she's planning to make things better. But Kaz doesn't seem like he wants to change, even with the winnings he would receive for Van Eck. He wants Inej by his side, but that's it. That being said, I didn't like how Inej was all like:

"How will you have me? Fully clothed, gloves on, your head turned away so our lips can never touch."

I feel like this was insensitive considering what Kaz has gone through. Though also, Inej doesn't know what Kaz has gone through so its hard for her to understand, yet I still think that's hurtful to say to Kaz. I really related to him not feeling comfortable with being touched, and I would just like to see that accepted more in books, rather than challenged as being weird or not right.

Nina and Matthias' story really annoyed me. I love Nina as a character, and her parts were fun and interesting to read, except for anything to do with Matthias. I just didn't understand why they were attracted to each other, especially considering how Matthias hates her and wants to kill her. And I get he changes and realizes what he was taught was wrong, but I still don't understand that initial "chemistry" between the two of them. I'm sorry, but if someone hates my guts and wants to strangle me, I don't think I would also want to sleep with them. And even if he changed, I don't know if I would want anything more than friendship, but then that's probably just me.

Jesper's story was interesting. The end reveal was kind of a surprise and I feel bad for him in a way. I hope Kaz can come to trust him eventually, but I feel like we're going to see a lot of resentment from Jesper in the next book.

Wylan's story is so sad. I was not expecting that twist at the end. But he is such a soft boy and I love him a lot and he deserves all the happiness.

The one problem I did have with the multiple POVs was that sometimes I would get confused about which POV I was reading. Especially when it came to dialogue. Any introspective stuff was easy to figure out of course, but sometimes in the middle of a dialogue scene, I'd find myself wondering "wait, is this from Jesper's POV, or Kaz?" I think in some ways, the characters started to blend together for me, and it was hard to differentiate just based off the writing.

The other thing that annoyed me was the misleading POVs. I get this was purposely done, but I also found it to be annoying reading a POV and seeing a character panicking cause something is going wrong, only to find out later that that was all intended. The first scene with Geels was done really well. I liked seeing Inej's take on everything. She didn't know what Kaz had planned, so when he played his cards, the pay off was great. But then we have Inej get taken away by Druskelle soldiers at the party in the Ice Court, and through her perspective it sounds like that wasn't a part of the plan at all, but then a few chapters later, Inej is like "Yes, I did exactly as I was supposed to!" I would have much preferred reading through a POV where everything is going wrong, but Kaz is just grinning on the inside cause he has something up his sleeve, and then if things really go out of whack, it would be cool to see him panicking and planning on the spot. But since that doesn't happen, it's almost feels convenient how Kaz plans everything so well and in advance. I would just like to see more of what's going on in his head.

Overall, I'm giving this a 3.75/5 stars, close to 4. I'm excited to see what happens in Crooked Kingdom, and I'm more than a little worried for both Inej and Nina. I hope Matthias dies, but that's probably just me lol

Giving this a 3 stars because I honestly don't have a lot of thoughts about this one.

There was definitely a lot of hype surrounding this book, which was the main reason I decided to give it a go. I wanted something quick and easy to read on my commute to and from work. But overall, I was kind of underwhelmed.

Beauty and the Beast retellings feel overdone to me now. And while this was a new take, I just didn't care for Rhen all that much. He isn't all that likeable, and he mostly just wallows in self pity and guilt and regret. He's constantly arguing with Harper, which I know was meant to pass as sexual tension or something, but then he would ignore her/give her the silent treatment and Harper would be all sad and miserable and I just didn't like that. It kind of problematic and abusive.

Grey aka Scary Grey was the reason I finished this book. He's just the perfect, squishable character. I loved his hard exterior to the world and people around him. And whenever a little bit of that softness broke through, it warmed my heart. He deserves all the happiness. I did guess the "plot twist" though, and while it seems promising, I still don't care enough to bother reading the next book. The ending mostly resolved the conflict. At least in a way that I just don't find myself wanting to know what will happen after.

Harper was an okay character. I liked how she didn't let her cerebral palsy effect what she could/couldn't do. She's definitely a strong character and I'm glad there was no insta-love. But she wasn't memorable in any way. She completely forgot about her brother and mother until she was reminded of them. And even once she got to see them, she treated Jake awfully. Considering he wanted no part in this, she dragged him and Noah into a dangerous situation with no care to their safety or the repercussions. I get saving Emberfall is important, but Jake is family.

Overall, this is a pretty fast read, and it is entertaining at times. I found that some parts dragged a bit and that I was mostly just trying to get to the end and hoping for a resolution of some sort. I did like how the book focused on choices and how the decisions you make at a moment in time are not necessarily bad decisions, but the best possible decision you could make. And I found that to be kind of reassuring, especially since I'm the sort of person to hate myself over my past decisions, even though I did the best I could at the time.

Rating: 3 stars

This book...

I don't even know what to say. The ending was just so atypical of what I'm used to, but I loved it just the same. It gets tiring when every series ends with a happily ever after, where everyone ends up with someone and the plot is nicely tied up, and the evil people are all gone or destroyed. This book doesn't do that and I'm honestly impressed.

I love Skara. She is the One and True Queen who deserves lots of hype. I love a strong, independent woman, who makes decisions that are best for her country and people and not based on her heart. I feel like it's more realistic, and while sad, it feels more right than everyone ending up with someone and being in love. Cause that's just not how the world works and everyone has different priorities and duties.

Raith's end was perfect. I loved his character growth and I think where he's headed seems more or less in the right direction (whether or not he believes it at the moment). I love how this book leaves a lot to the imagination. And based off of what we know at the end, it's nice to imagine what could happen next. I feel like he and Thorn are more suited for each other. Raith's character development would actually play well with her, and just like Thorn said, she needs someone to say no to her, and while Brand was great, he couldn't say no to her or steer her in the right direction. He did deserve better.

Koll is my precious son, who loves to carve wood and just wants to make everyone happy, but ends up hurting everyone instead. His character growth was also perfect. I think that final conversation with Yarvi, really opened his eyes (and also opened the reader's eyes), and he ended up deciding what was best for him. I love, love, love, love Koll and his ironworker girl (who now reminds me of Daja, so I'll just go hide in a hole a die from feels).

Yarvi...man, I feel in shock, yet I mostly guessed where everything was headed. His conversation with Koll pretty much confirmed it, and the whole sack on Thorlby had me wondering if he played a part, cause it definitely felt like something Yarvi would do. I do sort of want Skifr and Thorn to find out, cause Yarvi is dangerous, and no matter what alliance he and Skara have come to, I don't know if it will hold. I feel like he caved so easily at the end, yet at the same time, I think he got careless and conceited and proud. I just love when a book ends with lots of unanswered questions–not questions that would annoy you necessarily, but questions that make you wonder about what will happen next. It would be interesting to see if Abercrombie ever writes more set in this world.