Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy)

All of her books were outstanding, but it was so sad this trilogy ended. I have to admit I wish there was a way alina could have helped the darkling. Her characters have so much depth I found it really hard to hate the darkling even though you understood he couldn't end up on top. I'm going to reread all of them.

I'll start by saying that I wholeheartedly loved the first book of this trilogy and enjoyed the second book but had some issues with the pacing and the absence of the Darkling for most of the book. I really liked how this third book started out and was very much intrigued and engaged until the events of the last 20% of the book. Very disappointed...it's not the author's fault...I guess I just didn't share the vision. The ending was not what I would have liked. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet but the ending kind of ruined the entire series for me. I think what I 'll do is just re-read the first book as I like and forget the other two exist!

Well crafted and some unexpected turns. Like every great fairytale a villain and a hero except in this one there were several heroes and one villain and some shady contempt able characters all with believable actions-

Phenomenal ending to a phenomenal series. I finished the second book and couldn't wait for this one and it didn't disappoint. the story and scenery are like none other and I can't wait to return the world in these books. one of my favorite series and will read over and over again, a series I will never grow weary of

First book was amazing because it was something new. Second book dragged a tiny bit but was still good and this book. Oh my. Every character holds a place in my heart. Absolutely loved this series. Alina and Mal were perf. Nikolai and the Darkling were both amazing characters as well. What a perfect ending. Absolutely loved it.

The conclusion to Leigh Bardugo's trilogy is as good as the previous two novels in the series. More secrets are revealed, and Alina comes full circle from how she was originally introduced in the first novel.

The Darkling is mostly just mentioned, and doesn't really have the same central role. Mal and Alina are a team now, which I found satisfying, since they were apart for so long. I read this novel in three days since the font is huge, and is the reading level of a middle-schooler or earlier.

The map at the beginning of the book is kind of silly, since the characters only venture to a very limited number of places on a small section of it. Not much character development, besides Alina. I would have liked to have read the point of view of other characters.

Ever since Buffy first stuffed a stake in her messenger bag, pop culture has been assaulted by butt-kicking females - otherwise ordinary young women who discover they have special powers THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS! And suddenly they are BEAUTIFUL! They defeat insurmountable odds and come to terms with their power, martyr themselves, have angsty adventures...blah blah blah. This series has had some/all of that, and conclusions to series are always divisive. Still, this was one of the best I've read in the genre. Just enough wit, and one big reality check about power and it's price.

Right, so it's been about a month since Ruin and Rising came out, but I know there are still a lot of you who haven't had a chance to read it yet, so NO SPOILERS.

I love the X-Men.

I'd like to say that I've loved them since I was a kid, b/c that's when I started reading the comic books . . . but that would be a LIE (b/c not that cool).

I've loved the X-Men since 2000 when the first movie came out. I have a vague recollection of liking the various Superman and Batman movies when I was growing up, but it was X-Men that first spawned my LOVE of comic book movies. And I do LOVE them. My best friend and I love them so much that we regularly go to see them without our husbands on opening weekend, b/c we aren't willing to wait---WE planned for it, why didn't they?

B/c they don't love comic book movies like we do. Aaaannndddd we can always go see it again, if they really want to<------EVERYONE wins!

OR we can always go see it again as long as it's not X-Men: Day of Future Past.

There's a point, I promise.

You see, I have hard and fast rules for books (and movies) with any kind of paranormal elements. In fact, I'm probably more critical of books with magic and creatures, than books without them. One of those rules is, "If you're dead, you're dead."

Unless you're vampire . . . and then you're still kind of dead . . . whatever, you know what I mean.

In the latest X-Men movie, time travel was used as an excuse to kill practically EVERYONE, b/c, "Who cares? We'll go back in time and FIX it." *twirls mustache*

There was no time travel in Ruin and Rising. There was, however, the gratuitous death of beloved characters, b/c, "Who cares? We'll use magic to FIX it," thus breaking what is probably my #1 rule.

Another one of those rules is, "Once a Supe, ALWAYS a Supe."

If you get turned into a vampire, you're going to be a vampire for the rest of your unnaturally long life. If you get bitten and infected with a Were virus, there is no cure. If you're born with magic, you will always have magic. Someone may hinder your ability to use it, but even then, you will feel its lack.

Which is why the only X-Men movie I haven't seen is X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I refused based on it's premise, which is basically that Wolverine wants to be NORMAL. What a load of codswallop. He wants to feel pain? He wants to get old and die? Let's take a quick poll. Who, if they had superpowers, would want to get rid of them?

*crickets*

But regardless of whatever Wolverine thinks he wants (even without having watched the movie), I'm pretty sure it doesn't work, b/c he's still Wolverine in X-Men: Day of Future Past.

And why didn't it work? Hmmm??

B/c, "Once a Supe, ALWAYS a Supe."

But Ruin and Rising wasn't all bad. Honestly, it was only the last 50 or so pages that everything went to hell, BUT it went to hell spectacularly. The beginning was a bit slow, but it adequately communicated Alina's similar frustration at being forced to sit around and do nothing, and when things like that happen, I usually give them a pass, b/c I'm too impressed, on the off chance it was deliberate. If you aren't bothered by my broken rules, then there's a good chance you'll like the final installment of The Grisha infinitely more than I did, and regardless, if you've read the first two books, it's definitely worth finishing. SO . . . recommended with qualifications.

I have to start by saying thank you to a wonderful author - for creating an interesting world full of diverse characters, for not going the serial route so that there never seems to be an ending - only waiting for the next book, but most especially for getting this trilogy out in a timely manner. There are many authors whose writing I have come to love but who can't seem to get their books out in the same decade. Sad.

Ruin and Rising is a good, solid ending for the Grisha trilogy. The trilogy itself is divided very well - no cliffhanger endings where you turn the page expecting another chapter only to find yourself at the end of the book. I don't even think those kinds of books can seriously be labeled a "book". Books without endings are boo_s!

I did read the first two books again before reading this one and I'm glad I did. Reading them all was a wonderful escape into danger, excitement, romance, hunky evil and misunderstood guy, hunky prince charming, not quite perfect but perfect-for-her Mal, edge of your seat suspense, and an ordinary girl who could do something extraordinary. Definitely worth the read and price!

As is usual in the second book of a trilogy, this book is tragic, leaving you panting for the next book. Magic is aided by intelligent strategies and science, but cannot withstand brute force. The heroine is growing up and taking on leadership roles, but is not truly comfortable in this role nor does she fully understand her own powers and limitation. You will not be able to avoid reading the final book of the trilogy after reading this installment.

I had such high hopes going into this book, I was desperate to get my hands on it and checked my local bookshops constantly over the past few days to see if copies had been put out early. Unfortunately the book met none of my expectations. Even the two star rating is stretching my love for the book a little far. If the first two books in this trilogy had not been so wonderful, this may have even been a one star read for me. The ending was incredibly disappointing. More extensive review to come later.

***FYI*** there are some serious spoilers in the comments of this review, so please don't read them if you haven't finished R&R. There aren't (as best as I can tell) spoilers in this review, although there are references to some of the book's contents.

I finished this book with an intense amount of ambivalence for its conclusion. I found the ending extraordinarily painful BUT I also felt it inevitable; the way Ruin and Rising was written gave few, if any, alternatives. Without trying to spoil, the status of Alina's relationships were clarified while others were found irredeemable. With the options Bardugo gives us, it seemed clear that certain things (as one reviewer put it) needed to be sacrificed.

We can certainly debate the this necessity of this sacrifice as well as our satisfaction (or lack thereof) with the Last Relationship Standing, but the reason I've given Ruin and Rising three stars isn't because I'm angry over the ending; I'm disappointed with its execution. My plan is to reread, but in order of my initial pet peeves:

1 - I felt as if Bardugo was impatiently going through a check list: reunite people, reveal Darkling's history, resolve amplifier issue, final stand off, conclusion. There are really beautiful and emotional passages within Ruin and Rising, but they almost seem to come only when story is given room to breath.

2 - The resolution of the final amplifier, just as Mal's saving in the Fold in the first book, is as deus ex machina as you come. The so-called "signs" that this was foreshadowed in the previous book are, in my opinion, next to none and certainly not enough to foreshadow THIS. And even though I found it shocking, I also found it oddly banal, insofar as the reveal precludes a whole host of possible paths for the characters. I also found it somewhat insulting as a reader; the entire point upon which the series revolves was reset because of the Morozova background reveal just scant pages prior.

And this brings me to my final pet peeve:

3 - No matter how I feel about the Last Relationship Standing, my feelings are similar to those regarding the amplifier resolution: I don't mind the decision itself so long as you're not herding your readers towards it as if they're too unintelligent to understand what you're doing. I want to avoid spoilers here so I won't go any further, but am happy to discuss in the comments as I need to vent somewhere, ha!

I would hate to see 1-2 stars in the reviews simply because of the ending - as painful a conclusion as it is. Ruin and Rising, while problematic and certainly not worth the 4-5 stars the previous books garnered, is a genuinely decent read. It answers a number of standing questions from the first two installments and it's written with Leigh Bardugo's customary skill and flair for dialogue.

There's plenty at stake as the Grisha Trilogy draws to a stunning close. The forces of darkness and light square off in a battle unto death for the future of Ravka. Following her near-fatal encounter with the Darkling, a weakened Alina finds herself imprisoned in the fanatical Apparat’s subterranean lair under the guise of protection. Leigh Bardugo never lets us linger in one place for long and after a daring escape, Alina, the ever-faithful Mal, and the few surviving remnants of the Grisha rebellion seek to reunite with tsarevich Nikolai and procure the final amplifier needed to combat the Darkling and undue the Shadow Fold. As Alina’s yearning for power grows so too does her fear of being corrupted by this forbidden magic. With every threat stacked against them, Alina and Mal must make tough decisions that carry devastating consequences. The road to victory is paved with deceit and death, and readers will be gasping for the finish to see if these beloved characters can find solace in each other and, ultimately, salvation.

From reticent map-maker, to Sun Summoner, to sainted linchpin in an epic battle between good and evil, Alina Starkov’s evolution is of a stronger kind, rounding out her character so she can embrace her role as a Saint and realize her inner strength. Her internally driven struggle against her growing power engenders conflict with those around her and even contends with her love for Mal, thus bringing into question the destructive nature of power. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so sayeth Lord Acton, and Alina is reluctant to mislay her core identity even if it spells doom for Ravka. Despite his boorish behavior in the previous book, Mal redeems himself in dividends. His desire to protect Alina has never been stronger. Much like Alina, Mal is confronted by a fateful destiny, one that ineluctably places him on a trajectory that’s sure to leave readers teary-ended.

As engaging as our heroine is, it's Bardugo's cast of supporting characters and their genuine interactions with Alina that make this series a literary standout. Bardugo hews these auxiliary players so cunningly it's astounding. Alina’s motley of misfit Grisha are touchingly genuine in their squabbling repartee, flawed to be sure and all the better for it. The supremely charismatic Nikolai makes an expected return and his hidden depths prove vital to the storyline. Genya's unapologetic but sincere nature is top-notch characterization. As a result of her dealings with the Darkling, Genya is stripped of the loveliness that so largely defined her and she must accept not only her inner beauty but the consequences for her past actions and, perhaps, find redemption. Baghra, the Darkling's obstreperous mother, is a treasure to behold. Interestingly, even this ornery battle-axe isn't immune to Nikolai's charms, and it's moments like these that imbue her with a fleeting humanity—just enough to make her final sacrifice a tragically honest twist. Then there's Zoya, that raven-haired seductress who's compelling as she is fetching. Despite her animosity toward Alina, Zoya remains loyal to the Sun Summoner and her catty remarks become the needed levity to shore up Alina. And lastly, who could forget newcomer Harshaw, the redheaded pyromaniac with his trusty tabby, Oncat (that’s Kaelish for cat)?

Leigh Bardugo, who’s fast becoming a name reverently whispered among fantasy readers, delivers a show-stopping finale. Gallows humor and quippy one-liners combine to ease the tension of the plot. Even in the direst of straits, Alina maintains her characteristic snark to lighten the book's admittedly dark mood. Bardugo’s world-building skills are phenomenal, and each character is finely crafted. Her confidence and skill as both a writer and storyteller continue to mature and this beautifully realized world that she’s populated with rich, complex characters is increasingly vivid and ever more substantial in our mind's eye. Even more surprisingly, Bardugo manages to pull off a love quadrangle that feels organic and doesn’t needlessly complicate the narrative—a further testament to her writing prowess.

Upon reading Shadow and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, readers will find a number of conventional fantasy elements that may leave them questioning the worthwhileness of these books; however this impression diminishes as readers journey further into the series. The story of a lonely orphan becoming an all-powerful prophesied hero through a painstaking process of self-realization and learning is overworn by today’s literary standards. Yet, Bardugo succeeds in breathing new life into an assortment of tired, oft-used fantasy tropes. Alina's world becomes more enthralling and innovative with each chapter, revealing unexpected vistas and plot twists.

A slow burn of a novel that amasses tremendous force and intensity through heartrending observation and internal revelation, Ruin and Rising is a fitting end to a beautiful series. Leigh Bardugo masterfully weaves the threads of the previous novels into a dramatic and breathtaking tapestry. Prepare to be spellbound.

Favorite Quote:
"You live in a single moment. I live in a thousand."

SPOILERS AHOY. Read at your own risk folks~!

Disappointing. Just as I knew it would be. I almost wish I had just stopped after the first book, let my imagination run free instead of actually reading my heart get crushed inside my chest. Everything I assumed would happen (that I dreaded happening mind you), of course happened.

Perhaps my review is about to be too harsh, but when you love a story so much, that utter disappointment is devastating to me. I had this book in my hands the day it was published, and it took me this long to finish it because it crushed my heart to keep reading. I'm aware that I have my own interpretation of how things should have gone and I didn't want to decimate the rating of my beloved series solely because it didn't end the way I wanted it to. I waffled on the rating for so long. Bardugo is still an incredible author. Her writing is vivid and easy to picture in your mind. It's fluid and easy to read. Her world grabs hold of you and refuses to let go. Yet I'm more upset finishing this book than I was with the end of Harry Potter by far and that rant can run on forever.

If I'm being honest, I found a huge chunk of Ruin and Rising so incredibly boring. It was like reading the 7th Harry Potter book, quadruple-checking how far you are in the novel and then saying - "Yes, nothing has really happened and I'm over halfway through the book". In the few moments of action that it has, they felt pretty sloppy and rushed. After her last two books I know Bardugo can write surprise attacks and suspense, I expected much better. Admittedly the last scene had lots of tension, but overall was very anti-climactic and a let down. This montage of wrecked dreams was not what I was expecting at all.

The way her fabulous cast of character were handled like cheap toys given to a spoiled toddler to chuck around was upsetting. She needed Nikolai out of the picture since he was 50x times a better character than Mal? No worries, let's just turn him into some creepy half-human half-volcra or something monster. Seriously? Really? It came across as a lame tactic. Though honestly I felt as if Alina had been so slaughtered from the Alina of book 1 that Nikolai deserved better. Maybe Zoya, she was awesome. I enjoyed her bitchiness that she never attempted to hide. Very refreshing.

Then she came to her next problem. Too many people loved the Darkling (yes I'm one of them) since he's 100x (give or take a few extra zeros) better than Mal. But Mal is the childhood love! It must prevail! This is YA! So she has him doing deliciously evil deeds - No need to burn down a whole town to get my attention my love. I never would have left you in the first place. I'm sorry, he can probably murder thousands of innocent people and I would STILL like him better than Mal.

When I think of where this story could have gone...books like this fuel my need to write my own. He was the yin to her yang. The perfect balance to keep him in check. To show her the hidden potential she had. She could have saved him from his eternal darkness. Instead it fell into a YA trope of no return and turned her series into what could have been my ultimate favorite...into the typical....boring...YA trap.

All her problems had a cheap convenient cop out. Mal was insecure about Alina being so powerful and a grisha? No problem, that's ok! Let's have her lose her powers <i>again</i> and then her and Mal can be blissfully normal and incredibly boring. I mean I had enough problems with him and Alina having issues about how much power she had without that nonsense. I mean look at the last chapter, ugh. What? She was described as some sort of hippie nutcase that doesn't wear shoes and tells stories of her past like their some fancy fairy tale that people shouldn't believe. She helps own an orphanage with her !charming!handsome!perfect husband and that's how she was described? Are you kidding me? I repeat. What? Am I supposed to swoon? Go on and on about how romantic it is? I'd rather throw up in my mouth.

Speaking of endings, I won't lie. I obviously didn't like it. The conclusion against the Darkling - so anti-climactic. He deserved so much better. Nikolai - deserved better. Heck, Ruby deserved more than a passing mention like a comment made about the weather.

I also really disliked what she did with the amplifiers. Though I would have been ok if Mal had stayed dead I suppose. We can all dream. I felt like it made 75% of the last book a waste. What was the point?

Overall, a beatiful world, fascinating characters and another novel that could have been so incredible...but ultimately failed me and fell in the the typical YA traps. At least I have Nalini Singh's new book arriving tomorrow to sate my sadness.

“Suffering is cheap as clay and twice as common. What matters is what each man makes of it.”

This was the conclusion I knew would be excellent, the reason I read the first two books. This one flew by faster than the first or the second did; I read it in less than 36 hours.

“Are we not all things?”

***spoilers for books 1 and 2***

In this finale, the way forward for Alina is clear (ish). She must find the firebird so she can defeat the darkling, even if it costs her. But like everyone who says they’ll pay the price before they know what the price will be, she’s in for a world of heartbreak.

Will it be Mal, the Darkling, or Nikolai? All three of them have something to offer her soul, or at least the soul that began with her powers. But what about before that?

“He watches her the way Harshaw watches fire. Like he’ll never have enough of her. Like he’s trying to capture what he can before she’s gone.”

I know that there are a lot of people in the fandom who hate Mal, but I honestly just can’t understand. How can your heart not throb for him? Yes, he messes up (maybe quite a bit), but Alina isn’t miss perfect girlfriend either, people! Nikolai is nice enough but wants her for her status, and the Darkling??? Are you serious?!? He is so evil! Yes, he’s the equal to her power, and he understands the parts of her that result from being ultra-powerful, but he’s not the equal to her heart. He doesn’t understand who she is at her core—who she was before her power. He has tortured and used her way too many times to count. How can you ever come back from something like that??? If you think that’s what good relationships are built on, you are in for a rude awakening, my friend. TBH I thought Mal was way sexier than him, anyway. No contest who she should pick in my opinion. Team Mal 4ever. Don’t @ me. (You’ll have to read it to see who she picks!)

I still kind of hate Alina, and I still want to punch her. Alina: *seeks out Baghra for wisdom* Baghra: “Who’s that?” Alina: “Captain of my guard.” Baghra: “He sounds like—” Alina: “KBYEEE CYA LATER.” And also, Mal: “I put a beetle in that container and then I could hit it in the dark with a bullet.” Alina: “You don’t say. That’s impressive but not suspiciously magical at all. Cool.” LIKE HELLO WAKE UP WOMAN.

I’m also very mad at myself for not putting all the pieces together before they were revealed. I was very close, and I got almost all the way there, to the point where it all seems so obvious in hindsight. I can only credit Leigh Bardugo for that.

Where did it all go wrong? I was loving this series so much despite its flaws -- the heroine and her love interest were frighteningly generic and the love triangle/square got tiresome, but I was greatly enjoying the world Leigh Bardugo built and the story she wove. Sure, the story itself wasn't wholly original, but I still liked her psuedo-Russia and her magic system that, while reminiscent of the alchemy system from "Full Metal Alchemist," was still intriguing. But... somehow, it all fell apart in the final volume. Not only does our protagonist become more aggressively unlikable as the series goes on, but the ending is resolved through one of the worst Deus Ex Machinas I've read in a long time.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW. Proceed at your own risk if you have not yet read "Ruin and Rising."

In the wake of the devastating attack in "Siege and Storm," Russia is firmly under the rule of the Darkling, the Second Army is in tatters... and Alina, the Sun Summoner, is reduced to a shell of her former power and is half-ward, half-hostage to the Apparat, the religious leader who wants her to become the Saint that will save Ravka. Alina has her own ideas regarding freeing Ravka from the Darkling's rule, however, and with the help of a brave band of heroes -- including Mal, the tracker she loves -- she escapes the Apparat's lair and embarks on a quest to reunite with prince-turned-fugitive Nikolai, find the legendary firebird, and complete the amplifiers that will bring her to full power. But her quest is fraught with peril -- the Darkling is still after her, there's a traitor amidst her allies, and her own greed for the final amplifier and the power of the firebird could very well destroy her if the machinations of the Darkling don't first. Can Alina save Ravka... and in doing so, will she destroy herself?

I greatly enjoyed the world Bardugo constructed in her first two volumes, and her cast of minor characters was a joy to get to know -- ornery Baghra, clever and charming Nikolai, bookish David, the twin bodyguards Tamar and Tolya, even Zoya for all her cattiness and Genya for all her treachery (especially since she pays such a terrible price for her treachery in "Siege and Storm"). I still enjoyed these characters in "Ruin and Rising," and they helped make the book much more tolerable, especially with the addition of the eccentric Harshaw in this book. Sadly, it seems like Bardugo takes every opportunity to thrust them out of the spotlight in this book, whether it's killing them off, splitting the party, or having some other tragedy befall them. Indeed, Nikolai ends up suffering a terrible blow from the Darkling that seems orchestrated just to make him suffer, and to eliminate him from the love triangle. Thanks for torturing the most likable love-interest in the book just to reinforce your One True Pairing, Bardugo...

The writing in this book remains servicable, though not excellent, and it didn't jar me out of the story... at least until some unbelievable twists that ruined my enjoyment of the book. A weird twist regarding the amplifiers is especially annoying in this regard -- the logic used to make Mal the final amplifier rather than the firebird felt completely unforeshadowed (despite the text's insistence on the contrary) and included just to add further drama for drama's sake. It doesn't help that this drama is completely for nothing -- Alina is forced to kill Mal to make a third amplifier, but he comes back to life with no good explanation anyhow. This cheapens any attempts at drama and makes the twist come across as completely unnecessary.

Bardugo's ending is especially infuriating -- and not just because of multiple Deus Ex Machinas piled up on top of one another as if she couldn't figure out how to end the story and so just pulled an idea out of her behind. What's especially infuriating is that we're supposed to believe that the story ended happily simply because Alina ended up with the man of her dreams and can live in peace. Never mind that Ravka is in tatters and half the cast is dead -- all that matters is that our heroes are happy. I was hoping to see Alina come to terms with her power and use it to help make a better Ravka, but instead the climax depowers her and enables her to live happily ever after, in hiding, with Mal. It would have been far more satisfying if Alina had helped to clean up the mess she made and/or Mal had learned to love and accept her for who she was, but apparently it's more important that she be brought down to normal so she can have her boyfriend without him having to change. Ugh.

I had greatly loved this series, but the ending has spoiled it forever for me. "Ruin and Rising" stands as a shining example of how a bad ending can taint an otherwise-enjoyable series, and it makes me long for what could have been. I wonder if perhaps Bardugo rushed this book out just to be done with the series and focus on her "Six of Crows" series -- if that's the case, it's sad. I hold out hope that "Crooked Empire" will restore my faith in this author, but all the same "Ruin and Rising" has made me extremely wary of further books by this author, and I can only hope "Crooked Empire" doesn't similarly spoil "Six of Crows" for me.

There's plenty at stake as the Grisha Trilogy draws to a stunning close. The forces of darkness and light square off in a battle unto death for the future of Ravka. Following her near-fatal encounter with the Darkling, a weakened Alina finds herself imprisoned in the fanatical Apparat’s subterranean lair under the guise of protection. Leigh Bardugo never lets us linger in one place for long and after a daring escape, Alina, the ever-faithful Mal, and the few surviving remnants of the Grisha rebellion seek to reunite with tsarevich Nikolai and procure the final amplifier needed to combat the Darkling and undue the Shadow Fold. As Alina’s yearning for power grows so too does her fear of being corrupted by this forbidden magic. With every threat stacked against them, Alina and Mal must make tough decisions that carry devastating consequences. The road to victory is paved with deceit and death, and readers will be gasping for the finish to see if these beloved characters can find solace in each other and, ultimately, salvation.

From reticent map-maker, to Sun Summoner, to sainted linchpin in an epic battle between good and evil, Alina Starkov’s evolution is of a stronger kind, rounding out her character so she can embrace her role as a Saint and realize her inner strength. Her internally driven struggle against her growing power engenders conflict with those around her and even contends with her love for Mal, thus bringing into question the destructive nature of power. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so sayeth Lord Acton, and Alina is reluctant to mislay her core identity even if it spells doom for Ravka. Despite his boorish behavior in the previous book, Mal redeems himself in dividends. His desire to protect Alina has never been stronger. Much like Alina, Mal is confronted by a fateful destiny, one that ineluctably places him on a trajectory that’s sure to leave readers teary-ended.

As engaging as our heroine is, it's Bardugo's cast of supporting characters and their genuine interactions with Alina that make this series a literary standout. Bardugo hews these auxiliary players so cunningly it's astounding. Alina’s motley of misfit Grisha are touchingly genuine in their squabbling repartee, flawed to be sure and all the better for it. The supremely charismatic Nikolai makes an expected return and his hidden depths prove vital to the storyline. Genya's unapologetic but sincere nature is top-notch characterization. As a result of her dealings with the Darkling, Genya is stripped of the loveliness that so largely defined her and she must accept not only her inner beauty but the consequences for her past actions and, perhaps, find redemption. Baghra, the Darkling's obstreperous mother, is a treasure to behold. Interestingly, even this ornery battle-axe isn't immune to Nikolai's charms, and it's moments like these that imbue her with a fleeting humanity—just enough to make her final sacrifice a tragically honest twist. Then there's Zoya, that raven-haired seductress who's compelling as she is fetching. Despite her animosity toward Alina, Zoya remains loyal to the Sun Summoner and her catty remarks become the needed levity to shore up Alina. And lastly, who could forget newcomer Harshaw, the redheaded pyromaniac with his trusty tabby, Oncat (that’s Kaelish for cat)?

Leigh Bardugo, who’s fast becoming a name reverently whispered among fantasy readers, delivers a show-stopping finale. Gallows humor and quippy one-liners combine to ease the tension of the plot. Even in the direst of straits, Alina maintains her characteristic snark to lighten the book's admittedly dark mood. Bardugo’s world-building skills are phenomenal, and each character is finely crafted. Her confidence and skill as both a writer and storyteller continue to mature and this beautifully realized world that she’s populated with rich, complex characters is increasingly vivid and ever more substantial in our mind's eye. Even more surprisingly, Bardugo manages to pull off a love quadrangle that feels organic and doesn’t needlessly complicate the narrative—a further testament to her writing prowess.

Upon reading Shadow and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, readers will find a number of conventional fantasy elements that may leave them questioning the worthwhileness of these books; however this impression diminishes as readers journey further into the series. The story of a lonely orphan becoming an all-powerful prophesied hero through a painstaking process of self-realization and learning is overworn by today’s literary standards. Yet, Bardugo succeeds in breathing new life into an assortment of tired, oft-used fantasy tropes. Alina's world becomes more enthralling and innovative with each chapter, revealing unexpected vistas and plot twists.

A slow burn of a novel that amasses tremendous force and intensity through heartrending observation and internal revelation, Ruin and Rising is a fitting end to a beautiful series. Leigh Bardugo masterfully weaves the threads of the previous novels into a dramatic and breathtaking tapestry. Prepare to be spellbound.

There's plenty at stake as the Grisha Trilogy draws to a stunning close. The forces of darkness and light square off in a battle unto death for the future of Ravka. Following her near-fatal encounter with the Darkling, a weakened Alina finds herself imprisoned in the fanatical Apparat’s subterranean lair under the guise of protection. Leigh Bardugo never lets us linger in one place for long and after a daring escape, Alina, the ever-faithful Mal, and the few surviving remnants of the Grisha rebellion seek to reunite with tsarevich Nikolai and procure the final amplifier needed to combat the Darkling and undue the Shadow Fold. As Alina’s yearning for power grows so too does her fear of being corrupted by this forbidden magic. With every threat stacked against them, Alina and Mal must make tough decisions that carry devastating consequences. The road to victory is paved with deceit and death, and readers will be gasping for the finish to see if these beloved characters can find solace in each other and, ultimately, salvation.

From reticent map-maker, to Sun Summoner, to sainted linchpin in an epic battle between good and evil, Alina Starkov’s evolution is of a stronger kind, rounding out her character so she can embrace her role as a Saint and realize her inner strength. Her internally driven struggle against her growing power engenders conflict with those around her and even contends with her love for Mal, thus bringing into question the destructive nature of power. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so sayeth Lord Acton, and Alina is reluctant to mislay her core identity even if it spells doom for Ravka. Despite his boorish behavior in the previous book, Mal redeems himself in dividends. His desire to protect Alina has never been stronger. Much like Alina, Mal is confronted by a fateful destiny, one that ineluctably places him on a trajectory that’s sure to leave readers teary-ended.

As engaging as our heroine is, it's Bardugo's cast of supporting characters and their genuine interactions with Alina that make this series a literary standout. Bardugo hews these auxiliary players so cunningly it's astounding. Alina’s motley of misfit Grisha are touchingly genuine in their squabbling repartee, flawed to be sure and all the better for it. The supremely charismatic Nikolai makes an expected return and his hidden depths prove vital to the storyline. Genya's unapologetic but sincere nature is top-notch characterization. As a result of her dealings with the Darkling, Genya is stripped of the loveliness that so largely defined her and she must accept not only her inner beauty but the consequences for her past actions and, perhaps, find redemption. Baghra, the Darkling's obstreperous mother, is a treasure to behold. Interestingly, even this ornery battle-axe isn't immune to Nikolai's charms, and it's moments like these that imbue her with a fleeting humanity—just enough to make her final sacrifice a tragically honest twist. Then there's Zoya, that raven-haired seductress who's compelling as she is fetching. Despite her animosity toward Alina, Zoya remains loyal to the Sun Summoner and her catty remarks become the needed levity to shore up Alina. And lastly, who could forget newcomer Harshaw, the redheaded pyromaniac with his trusty tabby, Oncat (that’s Kaelish for cat)?

Leigh Bardugo, who’s fast becoming a name reverently whispered among fantasy readers, delivers a show-stopping finale. Gallows humor and quippy one-liners combine to ease the tension of the plot. Even in the direst of straits, Alina maintains her characteristic snark to lighten the book's admittedly dark mood. Bardugo’s world-building skills are phenomenal, and each character is finely crafted. Her confidence and skill as both a writer and storyteller continue to mature and this beautifully realized world that she’s populated with rich, complex characters is increasingly vivid and ever more substantial in our mind's eye. Even more surprisingly, Bardugo manages to pull off a love quadrangle that feels organic and doesn’t needlessly complicate the narrative—a further testament to her writing prowess.

Upon reading Shadow and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, readers will find a number of conventional fantasy elements that may leave them questioning the worthwhileness of these books; however this impression diminishes as readers journey further into the series. The story of a lonely orphan becoming an all-powerful prophesied hero through a painstaking process of self-realization and learning is overworn by today’s literary standards. Yet, Bardugo succeeds in breathing new life into an assortment of tired, oft-used fantasy tropes. Alina's world becomes more enthralling and innovative with each chapter, revealing unexpected vistas and plot twists.

A slow burn of a novel that amasses tremendous force and intensity through heartrending observation and internal revelation, Ruin and Rising is a fitting end to a beautiful series. Leigh Bardugo masterfully weaves the threads of the previous novels into a dramatic and breathtaking tapestry. Prepare to be spellbound.

This won't be a review. This will be a major case of ranting.
You will face HUGE spoilers so think twice about reading it.

I have so many problems with this book that I don't even know where to start and which is the biggest. Maybe I should write about things I liked first??
So ok, let's start...

1. Nikolai. He's by far my fave character (aside from The Darkling, whose real name is Alexander, so I think it's high time to stop calling him Steve and start calling him Sasha). He's a comic relief, the funniest one there, which, I admit, is not really hard, because NO ONE there has any sense of humour.
I never expected him to become a Volcra, so that's a plus. Also, I don't really know how he became human again, because I was skimming this book, really.
2. Sasha. He's still more or less secondary character, yet the most developed and complicated one.
3. Um, that's pretty mach all.

What I didn't like.
1. Alina.
This series has one of the least relatable protagonists ever. She's not likable, she's stupid and cruel, she has no personality whatsoever.
Her choices are questionable, she never stops to think anything through.
Her inner monologues make me want to act Dobby-way and bang my head against a wall.
Her relationship with Mal is laughable and romantic lines just make me want to vomit.
She can't develop any deeper connection with anyone because she's so selfconscious and withdrawn. During 2,5 books she seems to have no real friends, no one to confide in (besides of Mal, and still it's very limited, because she keeps huge secters from him just to reveal them in worst moment possible) yet when Nikolai gives her a ring she runs to the girls and have heart to heart swooning time???

2. Mal.
He's. Just. So. Boring.
I actually never thought that Alina and he will end up together and was pretty excited when he died (for like 5 minutes. Damn.).
I thought that it's too much when we found out thet he inked himself with something that can be translated to "I am become a blade" and Alina's sun symbol. Don't you think it's like tattooing your boyfriends name? Never a good decision tbh.
When I found out that he was the third amplifier I thought "wait what? My prayes were answered and he'll die?". What a disappointment it was later on.
His only good scenes were with Nikolai and I think that their bromance was a really nice touch.

3. Sasha.
Yeah, you heard me, he's in this section of my review. He's here not because of himself but what was happening and what happened to him.
As I said before, he's an interesting and complex character. I actually feel a bit cheated, because the author was hinting throughout the history that there is more to him, that maybe he's not real villain etc, yet she let him die with no redemption, no regrets and no chance to explain his actions. Should we just believe that he was more that just a power hungry jerk? Yeah, right.
His talks with Alina were laughable, not romantic or intriguing.
"His smile deepend and he cocked his head to the side. It almost hurt to see him this way. 'Will you say it?' he asked.
I hesitated, feeling danger crowd in on me.
'Aleksander' I whispered.
His grin faded, and his gray eyes seemed to flicker.
'Again, he said.
'Aleksander.' "
I'm making vomiting noises, just so you know.
Should I have made "awwwww" noise? Well, I didn't.

Also if someone could explain to me what was the point of Alina and Sasha's bond? Yeah, I know that the main reason was to put some romantic situations and conflicted emotions blah blah blah, but really what was the point? Why was Aline really visiting Sasha? And how was she doing it if no one tought her? She just lied down and thought "I want to see Sasha" really hard? If that was the case then hold on, I need to lie down and think "I need to see Matthew Goode". Maybe I'll succeed. I'll let you know.

4. Epilogue.
It was too sweet, too sugary. "Oh yeah, Mal, let's go and live in the place where we both hated but now let's bring love and affection there. Let's always have enough coal and enough sugar".

5. The search for the firebird, that dragged on and on and on, was pointless. Just as the case with the amplifiers. We know that for the amplifier to work the bones are needed. So why Mal's bones weren't? Why this rule didn't apply to him? So we can have our happy ending? Very convenient, really.

Also the big problem of this book is that the secondary characters are more complex and interesting that the main ones. I think it's something really bad when the author makes us like and relate to minor characters more.

I had a problem with picturing the setting. Like, hold on, first I thought that it was some Game of Thrones like setting, but then we get rifles and bullets. Ok, I can still picture that. It's still reasonable. But then we get flying ships (like literally flying ships) ans elevators and I'm all confused. Should I expect Tinkerbell popping from somewhere anytime soon?

I'm very disappointed with this series. After loving "Six of Crows" so much I expected to have all the feels replicated. All I got was lots of eye-rolling, sighing and arm shrugging.

Also If I got a dollar every time the line "like calls to like" was being said then I would be able to pay for the psychiatric help I obviously need.

There's plenty at stake as the Grisha Trilogy draws to a stunning close. The forces of darkness and light square off in a battle unto death for the future of Ravka. Following her near-fatal encounter with the Darkling, a weakened Alina finds herself imprisoned in the fanatical Apparat’s subterranean lair under the guise of protection. Leigh Bardugo never lets us linger in one place for long and after a daring escape, Alina, the ever-faithful Mal, and the few surviving remnants of the Grisha rebellion seek to reunite with tsarevich Nikolai and procure the final amplifier needed to combat the Darkling and undue the Shadow Fold. As Alina’s yearning for power grows so too does her fear of being corrupted by this forbidden magic. With every threat stacked against them, Alina and Mal must make tough decisions that carry devastating consequences. The road to victory is paved with deceit and death, and readers will be gasping for the finish to see if these beloved characters can find solace in each other and, ultimately, salvation.

From reticent map-maker, to Sun Summoner, to sainted linchpin in an epic battle between good and evil, Alina Starkov’s evolution is of a stronger kind, rounding out her character so she can embrace her role as a Saint and realize her inner strength. Her internally driven struggle against her growing power engenders conflict with those around her and even contends with her love for Mal, thus bringing into question the destructive nature of power. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so sayeth Lord Acton, and Alina is reluctant to mislay her core identity even if it spells doom for Ravka. Despite his boorish behavior in the previous book, Mal redeems himself in dividends. His desire to protect Alina has never been stronger. Much like Alina, Mal is confronted by a fateful destiny, one that ineluctably places him on a trajectory that’s sure to leave readers teary-ended.

As engaging as our heroine is, it's Bardugo's cast of supporting characters and their genuine interactions with Alina that make this series a literary standout. Bardugo hews these auxiliary players so cunningly it's astounding. Alina’s motley of misfit Grisha are touchingly genuine in their squabbling repartee, flawed to be sure and all the better for it. The supremely charismatic Nikolai makes an expected return and his hidden depths prove vital to the storyline. Genya's unapologetic but sincere nature is top-notch characterization. As a result of her dealings with the Darkling, Genya is stripped of the loveliness that so largely defined her and she must accept not only her inner beauty but the consequences for her past actions and, perhaps, find redemption. Baghra, the Darkling's obstreperous mother, is a treasure to behold. Interestingly, even this ornery battle-axe isn't immune to Nikolai's charms, and it's moments like these that imbue her with a fleeting humanity—just enough to make her final sacrifice a tragically honest twist. Then there's Zoya, that raven-haired seductress who's compelling as she is fetching. Despite her animosity toward Alina, Zoya remains loyal to the Sun Summoner and her catty remarks become the needed levity to shore up Alina. And lastly, who could forget newcomer Harshaw, the redheaded pyromaniac with his trusty tabby, Oncat (that’s Kaelish for cat)?

Leigh Bardugo, who’s fast becoming a name reverently whispered among fantasy readers, delivers a show-stopping finale. Gallows humor and quippy one-liners combine to ease the tension of the plot. Even in the direst of straits, Alina maintains her characteristic snark to lighten the book's admittedly dark mood. Bardugo’s world-building skills are phenomenal, and each character is finely crafted. Her confidence and skill as both a writer and storyteller continue to mature and this beautifully realized world that she’s populated with rich, complex characters is increasingly vivid and ever more substantial in our mind's eye. Even more surprisingly, Bardugo manages to pull off a love quadrangle that feels organic and doesn’t needlessly complicate the narrative—a further testament to her writing prowess.

Upon reading Shadow and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, readers will find a number of conventional fantasy elements that may leave them questioning the worthwhileness of these books; however this impression diminishes as readers journey further into the series. The story of a lonely orphan becoming an all-powerful prophesied hero through a painstaking process of self-realization and learning is overworn by today’s literary standards. Yet, Bardugo succeeds in breathing new life into an assortment of tired, oft-used fantasy tropes. Alina's world becomes more enthralling and innovative with each chapter, revealing unexpected vistas and plot twists.

A slow burn of a novel that amasses tremendous force and intensity through heartrending observation and internal revelation, Ruin and Rising is a fitting end to a beautiful series. Leigh Bardugo masterfully weaves the threads of the previous novels into a dramatic and breathtaking tapestry. Prepare to be spellbound.

There's plenty at stake as the Grisha Trilogy draws to a stunning close. The forces of darkness and light square off in a battle unto death for the future of Ravka. Following her near-fatal encounter with the Darkling, a weakened Alina finds herself imprisoned in the fanatical Apparat’s subterranean lair under the guise of protection. Leigh Bardugo never lets us linger in one place for long and after a daring escape, Alina, the ever-faithful Mal, and the few surviving remnants of the Grisha rebellion seek to reunite with tsarevich Nikolai and procure the final amplifier needed to combat the Darkling and undue the Shadow Fold. As Alina’s yearning for power grows so too does her fear of being corrupted by this forbidden magic. With every threat stacked against them, Alina and Mal must make tough decisions that carry devastating consequences. The road to victory is paved with deceit and death, and readers will be gasping for the finish to see if these beloved characters can find solace in each other and, ultimately, salvation.

From reticent map-maker, to Sun Summoner, to sainted linchpin in an epic battle between good and evil, Alina Starkov’s evolution is of a stronger kind, rounding out her character so she can embrace her role as a Saint and realize her inner strength. Her internally driven struggle against her growing power engenders conflict with those around her and even contends with her love for Mal, thus bringing into question the destructive nature of power. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so sayeth Lord Acton, and Alina is reluctant to mislay her core identity even if it spells doom for Ravka. Despite his boorish behavior in the previous book, Mal redeems himself in dividends. His desire to protect Alina has never been stronger. Much like Alina, Mal is confronted by a fateful destiny, one that ineluctably places him on a trajectory that’s sure to leave readers teary-ended.

As engaging as our heroine is, it's Bardugo's cast of supporting characters and their genuine interactions with Alina that make this series a literary standout. Bardugo hews these auxiliary players so cunningly it's astounding. Alina’s motley of misfit Grisha are touchingly genuine in their squabbling repartee, flawed to be sure and all the better for it. The supremely charismatic Nikolai makes an expected return and his hidden depths prove vital to the storyline. Genya's unapologetic but sincere nature is top-notch characterization. As a result of her dealings with the Darkling, Genya is stripped of the loveliness that so largely defined her and she must accept not only her inner beauty but the consequences for her past actions and, perhaps, find redemption. Baghra, the Darkling's obstreperous mother, is a treasure to behold. Interestingly, even this ornery battle-axe isn't immune to Nikolai's charms, and it's moments like these that imbue her with a fleeting humanity—just enough to make her final sacrifice a tragically honest twist. Then there's Zoya, that raven-haired seductress who's compelling as she is fetching. Despite her animosity toward Alina, Zoya remains loyal to the Sun Summoner and her catty remarks become the needed levity to shore up Alina. And lastly, who could forget newcomer Harshaw, the redheaded pyromaniac with his trusty tabby, Oncat (that’s Kaelish for cat)?

Leigh Bardugo, who’s fast becoming a name reverently whispered among fantasy readers, delivers a show-stopping finale. Gallows humor and quippy one-liners combine to ease the tension of the plot. Even in the direst of straits, Alina maintains her characteristic snark to lighten the book's admittedly dark mood. Bardugo’s world-building skills are phenomenal, and each character is finely crafted. Her confidence and skill as both a writer and storyteller continue to mature and this beautifully realized world that she’s populated with rich, complex characters is increasingly vivid and ever more substantial in our mind's eye. Even more surprisingly, Bardugo manages to pull off a love quadrangle that feels organic and doesn’t needlessly complicate the narrative—a further testament to her writing prowess.

Upon reading Shadow and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, readers will find a number of conventional fantasy elements that may leave them questioning the worthwhileness of these books; however this impression diminishes as readers journey further into the series. The story of a lonely orphan becoming an all-powerful prophesied hero through a painstaking process of self-realization and learning is overworn by today’s literary standards. Yet, Bardugo succeeds in breathing new life into an assortment of tired, oft-used fantasy tropes. Alina's world becomes more enthralling and innovative with each chapter, revealing unexpected vistas and plot twists.

A slow burn of a novel that amasses tremendous force and intensity through heartrending observation and internal revelation, Ruin and Rising is a fitting end to a beautiful series. Leigh Bardugo masterfully weaves the threads of the previous novels into a dramatic and breathtaking tapestry. Prepare to be spellbound.

***Spoilers. You’ve been warned***

The plot was a pretty fast paced one, just like the first and second. This one’s got more heartbreaking moments and I’m glad to see the romance drama has cleared as well. You still feel the awkward tension between Mal and Alina and it does induce moments of eyeball rolling but the heartbreaker comes when hell breaks loose and Nikolai gets taken away and becomes corrupted by the Darkling.

Did I ever want to cry out loud in horrifying rage.

Of all people Nikolai just HAD TO BE THE ONE. Just when things were getting a little better, when it looks like he might have snagged Alina and they might be together (just maybe?) but noooo! He had to be corrupted and although he valiantly did try to fight it my heart broke into two. (I guess you could say I’m all for Team Nikolai) Which of course clears the path for Mal and Alina to try again and rekindle their love.

This love triangle was one where I was happy with who she would end up being with either way. Of course I would have preferred Nikolai because I loved his character and personality. But now that Mal stopped his stupidity the chemistry was back between himself and Alina. It just felt right.

I loved how everything just came to full circle to close this series. How in the end, Mal and Alina go back to recreate the orphanage to house children just like how they used to be when they were young. It was sad to see Alina decline to be at Nikolai’s side, but also to decline to be at court with the other Grisha but, it was for the better. Alina had never felt like she was part of them, neither did Mal. It was touching when she received the kefta with the note (yeah I got a little something in my eye with that moment)

And even though the Darkling didn’t deserve it, kudos for Alina to take the high road and giving him a proper ending.

I enjoyed reading this series. I’m sad to see this series come to an end. I didn’t realize how attached I were to some characters. It was a nice sigh of relief at the end though. When I closed the book after reading the final page. It was a beautiful but bittersweet ending.

(David and Genya!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!) :D

Y’all. I don’t know what to tell you about this book. I don’t know if I just drug out reading it because it was the last book in the series or if it was just so slow it just took me forever to get into it. It’s a very well written book. I know this series is older than Crooked Kingdom but I can’t help but compare the two. Leigh obviously evolved a lot in her writing in between series.

I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something not as intense or highly action packed. There is a lot of down time in this series and, in my opinion, not a lot of thrilling happenings. I’m not downing this book, I’m not saying don’t read it. It was very good. It just wasn’t up to par for me personally.

I will say though, there were some plot twists I didn’t see coming with the Apparat and Tamar and Tolya. At one point I actually wrote in my notes, “JK now we’re good again.” Alina grew as a character, but in my opinion, she didn’t grow enough. She has an issue “choosing” men. She goes to the Darkling herself in this novel, is courted in a sense by Nikolai, and Mal is still hanging around.

This might be my most so-so rating, and it still has 4 stars. This novel is really good. Don’t let me make you think it wasn’t. Just because I had higher expectations because I read her newer novels first means nothing. A lot of authors grow and change writing styles and that is evident with Bardugo. Read this series before you read Six of Crows. You will be so impressed.

Wow.. Just wow. Now as much as I did not like who she chooses at the end of the book, but this book is just wow. I absolutely loved and adored this book. This book went and broke all the rules. It blew the other 2 books out of the water. I do want to say that how she tied everything together, answered questions and had the characters grow in this exciting conclusion.

Firstly, what I did not like. Of course who she chooses, I do not think that as a character Alina grew enough to get out of the puppy dog love phase. She overlooked every fault and craziness that most women hated, and despite being strong in other aspects, this was not one of them. I mean seriously. Mal was not a favorite of mine to behind with, he did not realize he was in love with her until she was somebody. Somebody important, with a cause, then wanted to lead her away from it. Also I hate the fact that if you kill a main character off, you can't just magically bring them back to life, I mean there are rules to magic. Arent there? Pretty sure that is my biggest pet peeve int his book.

What I loved! It snuck up on me. I did not expect a lot of things that had happened, and maybe yes I hate that they happened but they made the book, the ending. And -sigh- I guess it was literally the best ending it could have had. This book is a page turner, I had gotten no sleep just to find out what happened. Very few books can I do this with, to forgo the bleary eyes, and just read. Although I wish she had been a little more bad ass with Alina, I get it. I love the way that Bardugo actually showed her struggles, especially between her power and position. I also love the fact that all of the characters not only well written was realistic and fun, well some of them. Some were too serious. This book was about love, and betrayal, and power, and politics. Now I can finally read Six of Crows. :D I do recommend this book, and I wouldn't hesitate to read it again and again!

The final installment of the Grisha Verse, Alina Starkov and Mala, along with the few surviving grisha are, once again, captive. But instead of the Darkling, the priest is now their jailer with hundreds of believers surrounding them on all sides. Alina must grapple with the fact that here she has not been able to use her power and summon light. Through a desperate attempt on the groups part, she is able to reawaken her power, take control back from the priest, resurface, find the third amplifier, and finally see the fall of the Darkling and the banishment of the void.

Bardugo has done it again in her final installment of the Grisha Verse. Her characters are compelling, her storyline is rich and full of life, change, twists and turns, and unexpected outcomes. The characters continue to adapt, change, and take the reader by surprise. Their individual personalities, motives, and ideology are apparent and wonderfully expressed through the chapters. The plot and story development are well constructed, and the three books work off of each other, referring back to previous events, character reveals, and details that make the story fuller and more realistic. There is mild violence throughout the story, common to wartime, and civil unrest, but it is rather tastefully done and doesn’t get into terrible detail or gruesome explanations. Overall, a wonderful end to an enchanting series.

This is the finale of the GrishaVerse trilogy and a fitting finale it is. As with both the other books in this series, Ruin and Rising is filled with action, adventure, heartbreak, loss, healing, and love. Bardugo does a fantastic job revealing the mysteries of the Amplifiers and the origins of the Darkling and her own strange powers.

I loved every bit of the trilogy, particularly the fact that the book ends with real closure. If you liked the ending of Mockingjay in the Hunger Games trilogy, you will like the ending of GrishaVerse.

My only critique, and it is a mild one, was that I felt the ending of the book might have been just a touch lengthy. While I appreciated that Bardugo tied up loose ends and beautifully framed the opening and closing of this book with fairytale-like narrative, I felt that after the great battle and all that is resolved through it, I didn't need to hear more about Alina's story.

This was a wonderfully entertaining, fast-paced series that I highly recommend to all magical fantasy lovers.

I don't usually leave reviews but I had to write one for this one, because I ended up being just so disappointed. The first two book in this series were excellent you had character growth, you had episodic build up, then for it to just end with a whimper in the third, was a real let down for me. The Darkling was my favorite character and he was not really in this book and if he was it was to be abnormally cruel to Alina. Alina was growing in the fist two books but by the third she just kind of fell flat for me. Mal and Alina were together through most of book three but there wasn't any growth or spark in their relationship. He kept his distance from Alina and she let him, it was all very boring. To me in the first two books Mal and Alina's relationship was sweet but never really moved beyond that. Alina and the Darkling now that was some spark!
In the end I think I just wanted more background from the Darkling. How he created the Fold, what was his ultimate plan for Alina and the amplifiers. Did he truly care about Alina in the end. I mean there just had to be more to justify all that killing and maiming, than I want Alina to rule with me. I don't know but I just think he deserved a better ending than what he got. He was your epic villain and you killed him in the wackest way possible. And then everybody got to live happily ever after. (sticks finger down throat)

I put off this book for a while and I’m kinda regretting it because this was such a good book. This was the PERFECT way to wrap up this series and I can’t think of a single complaint. This world is so rich and vibrant and this book is easily my favorite of the trilogy.

Alina is such an incredible heroine and I adore her. She has really come into her own in this one and taken the Saint title in stride. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders and she handled it well. She is willing to make tough choices and do what is right for the greater good. Then there is Mal who I absolutely adore. I am so so in love with Mal. He is such a constant in this one and his devotion to Alina is incredible. I love those two so much and it hurt watching them go through everything knowing that they are both destined for different things. This book ripped my heart to shreds over and over again. I know Mal isn’t everyone’s favorite, but he is my favorite character in the series.

The book also delivers such a great cast of secondary characters. Of course Nikolai is wonderful. And I have a super soft spot for David. He is such an awkward adorable cutie. And what would this review be if I didn’t mention The Darkling. He is such an incredible villain. I never got the appeal with him as a love interest of any sort BUT he is a truly great villain.

This world is so captivating and truly wonderful. The story keeps you engaged and the twists really caught me by surprise. Some of those twists nearly destroyed me. This book really put my heart through the wringer, but in the end it was all worth it. Because the end was perfect.

Ruin And Rising was a great conclusion to The Grisha Trilogy. This was the best way to say goodbye to these characters and I’m definitely going to miss them.

3.5 stars: reading the last book of a trilogy is always sad, because the world you've immersed yourself in for so long has come to an end. I knew the ending would be depressing, because that is the world that Alina (the main character) lives in. I was tempted to give this book 1 star, but that would be based solely on my unhappiness with who Alina ended up with- and that would be an unfair rating, because this book (well this entire series actually) is about so much more than romance.

The final book in this trilogy is a build up to the final showdown between Alina and the Darkling. Much like the 2nd book, the Darkling only shows up sporadically in this book- only when Alina chooses to use their connection to "visit" him. My favorite character Nikolai (the pirate prince) returns for this final installment as well. The author has really succeeded with this character; his charm, wit, and elegance simply oozes off the pages. On the other hand, the author has completely failed in the character of Mal. It's been 3 books and I still cannot stand him, nor did I at any point ever root for his relationship with Alina. I buy their deep friendship, I buy their history together and that they will do anything to save each other- but I cannot buy that they are epic loves.

I will commend the author on the twist that appears near the end of the book involving the 3rd amplifier. I did NOT see that coming, even though supposedly the hints were there. The writing is still great and addictive, but again...I was disappointed at the ending, but that is just the romance angle. Everything else ended the way it should have, I think.

[taken from my review at goodreads]

This book was sort of ho-hum for me. I love the first book, Leigh Bardugo dragged me into the Grishaverse with her captivating storytelling and her enchanting characters. Oh how I loved The Darkling, though he was the nemesis to our heroine.

Book two I started to realize the lack of world building for this made up fantasy world. When you create an entirely new universe, you need to explain and show that new world to your readers. I was left with little holes in the sky and the feeling I was missing things, yet I was still oddly captivated with it all.

Book three happens and I was so excited. All the lingering questions and doubt would be answered and the holes filled in and wrongs would be righted and, thanks to the title, a new leader will rise up from the ashes of the old ruins. But that isn't what happened. I was left feeling sad for The Darkling and anger at the weakness of Alina.

The end result to me seemed like a morality lesson to teach young ladies how NOT to live their lives. Just give up your destiny and everything you've worked so hard for so his little man feelings don't get trampled on and you two can have a happily ever after. What about HER feelings? If he really loved her he would accept her as she is and put his own feelings aside, or at least try to find a midway compromise. But not. Mal gets everything he's always wanted and our great would be Queen learns to be happy cooking his dinner and washing his underwear.

I agree with Zoya, "I would rather have the emerald", or image the possibilities if she had chosen The Darkling and tampered his evil rage?

So while I didn't like this book, I'm not giving it only one star based on my personal opinion. It was well written, and the characters remained consistent to their personalities throughout the series, there were a few surprises so it wasnt completely cliched.

Ruin and Rising is the epic finale to Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy. Mal and Alina spend this book searching for the third amplifier for Alina to finally be able to defeat the Darkling. It opens with them below ground in the Apparat’s stronghold. Alina’s powers don’t work if she cannot access the sun, but the Apparat still wants to hold onto her as a bargaining chip while waiting for the war above ground to setlle one way or the other. When they finally escape, they seek out Nikolai as Alina has decided she needs to ally with him in marriage to combine her army and his. When they find him, Alina learns that Morozova was the darkling’s grandfather, and she starts to think she might also be a descendant of Morozova’s second daughter whom he resurrected after an accident, her power being the opposite of the Darkling’s and potentially a result of Morozova playing with the powers of creation, merzost to resurrect his child. However, they get betrayed again and using merzost, the Darkling turns Nikolai into a vampiric sort of creature, if vampires have wings and talons on top of fangs. A tiny group of fighters escapes again this time, mostly with injuries, to find the firebird and hope against hope that Alina would then be strong enough. It doesn’t take long surprisingly to find the bird, but they discover it is not the third amplifier, Mal is. It turns out Mal is actually descended from the other Morozova line. This breaks Alina’s heart because in order to gain the power, she would have to kill the only man she’s ever truly loved. Will she have to do it? Can they beat the Darkling without combining the amplifiers? Would she have the ability to make that sacrifice if there is no other way? Is there any way to save Nikolai?

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about the ending (very literary symmetry, but not the ending I personally wanted for the characters) but I am not going to give any of THAT away.

Girl. Orphan. Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Ruination. Girl.

It’s been three days since I finished this immersive series, and I’m still not quite sure how to translate my conflicting opinions into words.

Part of me feels that had I read this series as intended – over years, anxiously waiting for all the books to be published – I might feel differently. However, due to the fact that I was late to the Grisha party, I only spent 2 weeks in the world of Ravka; although to Bardugo’s credit, it felt like I’ve lived there for years.

Brimming with merzost and fantasy elements, Ravka, lifted from the pages and felt almost tangible. The world, its history, the characters all envelop you “so suddenly, you barely have time to react.” With that kind of attachment and with loyalties divided, it’s hard to imagine any ending that would sit right within the fandom. And despite one issue (see spoiler #3 below), I do feel Bardugo provided the most logical and necessary ending to this turbulent saga.

By far the most action-packed and emotional installment of the trilogy, Ruin and Rising opens with Alina finding herself powerless and severely weakened after her near-fatal standoff with the Darkling at the end of Siege and Storm. Forced underground and kept under constant surveillance, she finds herself a puppet – yet again – in a new master’s game. Fueled by the desire to break free and aided by her quirky band of followers, Alina is soon reunited with her summoning abilities and finally starts to show off some of that feisty Saint spirit. After issuing some threats and laying down the law, the group begins their hunt for the firebird and a means to end the wars in Ravka for good. Of course hijinks ensue, plans are foiled, secrets are revealed, and lives are lost. And whether it turned out like you’d hoped or not, you actually care.

That’s been my favorite discovery throughout this series: that depending on the chapter, I can actually understand and relate to the characters – good, bad, major or minor. Bardugo’s scenes are so convincing that you find yourself rooting for Alina and an infinite numbers of fates. You can understand how she could reign with the quick-witted and “damnably handsome” Nikolai. You can understand how she’d want to bow out (à la Buffy style) and live peacefully with her childhood pal, Mal. You can even understand how she could want to spend eternity with the manipulative and divisive Darkling. My personal fave, however, is that she’s tell them all to vacate because Ravka’s clearly in need of some #GirlBoss. Oh, well...

Personal feelings aside, this series sparked debate/discussion (something I’m personally always looking for in reading material) and created one of the most compelling characters I’ve encountered in recent memory: the Darkling. Very rarely, in reality or fiction, are we presented with a villain that can commit such atrocities and still evoke sympathy for his actions. For that, and for that alone, I feel this series is worth your investment.

P.S. My 5 leftover/ranty/and SUPER SPOILERY feelings are below:

1. Nikolai your cheeky remarks have left an impression and you “remain in my heart.”
2. Alina losing her powers and transferring them to all the regular folk out there seemed very reminiscent of the ending of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I feel the same about that as I do about this. You want this strong heroine you’ve looked up to for ages to stay that way, but you also get why she’d want to take a break and has earned the right to live a regular life.
3. I’m on record as not being on Team Mal, but that doesn’t sway my opinion on this: he should have died. Don’t get me wrong, I was sad in that moment. I didn’t think I would be, but I was. However, if the lesson is about sacrifice/the burden of using magic/etc then that should have been the outcome. Does it suck? Yes. But that was the price they paid to defeat the Darkling and close the Fold. However, I understand that had Bardugo left Alina "mate-less" all hell would have broken loose, so I get it. Kind of.
4. There’s rumors that the Darkling isn’t really dead. Despite everything I’ve said previously, I hope that’s true because after everything he deserved a better death.
5. This probably should have just been my review. Lol. Thanks for reading!<3

"I am not ruined. I am ruination."

"I will strip away all that you know, all that you love, until you have no shelter but me."

"'You might make me a better man.' 'And you might make me a monster.'"

"'Despise your heart' . . . 'What's the other part?' 'I have no heart.'"

I toyed back and forth with giving this one 4 stars, but although it was good, I didn't think it was 4-star quality. So I'll settle for 3.5.

As a series, the Grisha trilogy is a fun ride (even though I do not feel it's written as well as Six of Crows, but that's pardonable because Bardugo wrote this series first). Throughout the series, Alina has to grapple with who she is and constantly decide not to embrace the darkness. Even though this is fantasy, and most people don't wield sunlight, I do think that struggling against your nature and your desires is very relatable, and I liked that about Alina.

Also, the Darkling... Be still my heart. Once again, Leigh Bardugo is stellar at creating villains that you love to hate and hate to love. One minute, you're shipping Alina and the Darkling hard core and the chemistry is electric, the next minute you want someone to assassinate him ASAP. That's talent. The Darkling is well-developed, so that the more you get to know his back story, the more you ache for him and want him to find redemption.

But, love triangles! (Or more like a love square...is that what you call it when there's 3 guys going after 1 girl?) Gracious. How many eligible bachelors must we include in this story? I feel like that trope is overdone, and it makes me feel really bad for the male characters. They don't deserve the confusing emotions of the female main character. If there was ever a love triangle with 1 male and 2 females, we'd call the guy shallow and and a jerk if he flirted with both girls. It's really a double standard.

It's also annoying that Mal and Alina always seem to be fighting. Perhaps that's the norm for teenage relationships, but it's a nuisance.

I liked that the characters have to overcome their personal struggles and sufferings, even the ones that seemed perfect like Genya. I love what David tells her: "Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what's inside? That's steel. It's brave and unbreakable. And it doesn't need fixing." True beauty and strength often comes through suffering, and that's a message I completely support.

And the ending! I don't want to give anything away, but I felt it was perfect and I had my doubts whether it would meet my expectations up to the last few chapters.

Despite the fact that some of the plot/characters were cliche, I think that overall, it was a worthwhile read.

Whew, that was a crazy journey and more intense than I thought it would be. I definitely got some heartache more than once. Just goes to show how attached I became to the characters! I liked how the story and title definitely matched each other. There was a lot of excitement and the characters, both old and new (LOVED Harshaw), had their work cut out for them as they started from the bottom and worked their way to the final confrontation with the Darkling. So much went wrong, and I mean that in the best possible story telling sense. I honestly had no idea how the story was going to end, since things would go right for a little while, then go horribly, horrible awry. I definitely didn't see a couple major twists coming (one came completely out of the blue and made for a heart-pounding ending), which made for an engaging and unpredictable story. The characters I've grown to love have definitely changed and matured, and had their own moment in the spotlight. I was a little frustrated by the drama between Alina, Mal, and Nikolai, but never enough that it took me out of the story. The series was intense and passionate and I couldn't have been happier to see how it ended. I really, really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it to those who haven't read it yet.

I purchased the box set of this trilogy but I am reviewing each volume separately.
What can I say... I loved this book... though I have to say that there were times when I thought the author was going to choose a path that would leave me extremely pissed off at her. Instead she left me shedding many a tear and thoroughly satisified with this book and the series as a whole. Alina and Mal have taken a place as one of my very favorite couples from the world of fantasy. Also, through this trilogy and the Six of Crows duology it has made the world of the Grisha one of my most favorite worlds. Part of my feels as though I lived this last book, the author had my heart-racing at times and my emotions high and full. Even at this point like and hour after I finished there is still tingly feeling throughout my body. All in all, this book was the perfect culmination of this series!

This final novel in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy is the first one that I feel really approaches the quality of her later Six of Crows series. (Or to put that more charitably, the five Bardugo books that I've now read get steadily better when arranged in publication order. She's definitely growing as a writer, and I'm excited to see what she produces next.)

I was lukewarm on the Grisha series for the longest time, but this closing volume crackles with all of the excitement and originality that I wanted from the first two books. The characters are deeper, more decisive and tragic where before they could feel somewhat petty, and the love triangle resolves with a minimum of fuss. I'm not sure if it quite makes up for the earlier weaknesses, or if I'd even recommend the trilogy as a whole. But Bardugo really nails the conclusion here, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected to.

There won't be any spoilers in this review, so worry not.

Because of college I've both been in a reading slump and a reviewing slump, which is why this review is so late coming. It should have been out ages ago, and I actually promised to have it out by now so I'm sorry that I didn't have it out before now. I'm not just sorry because I disappointed people curious to see my thoughts, but because now the details for this book are blurry and they get blurrier every day.

Ruin and Rising is the phenomenal finale to the Grisha Trilogy, which I fell in love with last winter. After finishing Siege and Storm I didn't really think I could handle the feelz that this one would bring, and I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters, particularly Nikolai. Of course, there is Six of Crows (which I have read) and now Crooked Kingdom (which I need to read) that will take me back to this world and have just as amazing characters within them, but they aren't the same ones from the Grisha trilogy so it's still hard to say goodbye.

And say goodbye I did. I know the ending is either hated or liked, but honestly, I loved it. I had no idea how the series was going to end but I thought Bardugo did it perfectly. It hit all the emotional points and wrapped up stories the way they should have been wrapped up. And, yes, I do approve of who Alina ended up with. As much as I loved the other two "options" this was the one I was rooting for the whole time because it was what Alina needed the whole time and clearly the one that made her happiest.

Besides the ending, the whole book was fantastic. There's a twist in the middle that I called from book one, but it was still well played and worked into the story beautifully. I'm always taken off guard by how brutal these books can get, but at the time time they do it in such an enchanting way that as gruesome as it is I can't look away from the page.

As always, the world building is what gets me the most. I want to live in Ravka! Or maybe a peaceful version if there is one. There's just so much atmosphere in these books that I can't get enough of it. I would find myself daydreaming about the setting, which is absolutely amazing. For those of you who want to learn to write setting well, the Grisha trilogy is a great teacher.

TL;DR This book did not disappoint. I know ti split fans, but I approved of all the choices, including the final ship, and had a hard time saying goodbye to these characters I'd grown very attached to.

review originally posted on [...]

***Does Contain Spoilers***

I knew coming into this book that Alina and Mal would be together in the end, as much as I hate them as a couple. I don’t know exactly why I don’t like Mal, but I never disliked a pairing/male lead so much. I just felt like Alina’s entire existence revolved around him. I thought the whole third amplifier thing/coming back to life was cheesy. Their ordinary life together bit made me roll my eyes. All three books just for that? Okay. I feel like I wasted my time. The first book was great, the second was okay, and this one was just /no/.

The Darkling’s demise was coming, I knew. But it was boring and should have been built up more than it was. Badass characters should have badass deaths. His death was the only thing that stirred any kind of emotion besides the cheated feeling I got with Alina and Mal’s ending. I wish there could be a book solely about the Darkling because he’s the only one worth caring about besides Nikolai.

Speaking of Nikolai, he wasn’t well treated in this book. I felt terrible about what he went through. With the darkness still inside him, I wonder how this would affect his life. And I really wish he and Alina would have gotten together. He received the short end of the stick.

At least, thankfully, Mal wasn’t as whiney and controlling like in the last book. Alina made most of her own decisions. That’s all the positives I can think of right now. I’m a little weary of following series now, but I’ll hang in there.

The Darkling has won a stunning victory, seizing control of Ravka and the Grisha. His agents now hunt the land for Alina Starkov and her band of rebels. But Alina has one chance to win back victory: she alone knows the location of the third amplifier, which will grant her the power to destroy the Shadow Fold and the Darkling both. But her growing power also threatens to overwhelm her morality and judgement. Saving Ravka may mean losing herself...

Ruin and Rising brings the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo to a close. This fantasy young adult series, riffing off YA and epic fantasy tropes and filtered through a Russian-inspired naming convention, has been engaging and energetic and this concluding volume continues along that path.

It continues the theme from the previous novel of Alina being torn between using her power to save her country and her friends, but worried that doing so will corrupt her absolutely. It's a powerful theme (if arguably overplayed in fantasy) but it's a little bit weakened here by the fact that it's clear Alina never would do anything so outright evil and the fact that defeating the Darkling is so important. Otherwise the book continues in a similar vein from the previous one, save that Alina and her friends are now on the run rather than working from the heart of Ravka's power.

The novel looses up a little and we have some stronger characterisation in the form of Alina's former arch-nemesis turned close associate Zoya, who has somehow convincingly become a friend and ally despite not really changing her character from a spoiled, overconfident aristocrat. This is a clever piece of character work that the author pulls off quite well. There's also more offbeat character tics, like the slightly demented Harsha (a fire Grisha who's a little too fond of fire) and his feline companion, Oncat. These add a bit more character and spark to proceedings.

There's also a nice twist where the spine of the novel, the search for the third amplifier, takes an abrupt turn that feels predictable in retrospect (it's well foreshadowed from earlier novels) but took me by surprise anyway. There's also the grand finale, which feels like it is riffing off the ending to a major late 1990s TV fantasy show, which I always thought was an excellent an unconventional way of ending a fantasy series about a Chosen One but hadn't seen replicated in literature until now. It certainly gives rise to a neat and suitable ending.

Some of the complaints about the series from the earlier novels remain in force. Sometimes things happen far too fast without proper appreciation for the consequences, travel time and distances are all over the place (Alina seems to allow her team maybe three days maximum to explore a whole, massive mountain range for a creature with no knowledge of its location) and the Russian influence seems to be limited solely to the names with little evocation of actual Russian history or culture: on that basis Peter Higgins's Wolfhound Century trilogy is altogether more successful in creating a faux-Russian atmosphere. Mal, although a bit more likable in this novel, also remains an unengaging and sometimes wooden protagonist.

But overall, Ruin and Rising (***½) is a fine and readable conclusion to what has been an entertaining and diverting trilogy, but it does feel like there is some unfulfilled potential here. It is available now in the UK and USA.

Maci's Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo is the last book in the The Grisha trilogy. Alina is now more powerful then ever, but also broken. Her last encounter with the Darkling left her desperate and afraid. But she is the only one with the power to stop him. The Apparat, religious advisor to the King, has turned Alina into a living Saint. Alina doesn’t know how to use this new power/influence she has, but is also afraid of causing her followers to get hurt. In order to be more powerful then ever before she also needs to find the third of Morozova’s amplifiers to increase her power even more, which is something no other Grisha has attempted before. If she finds the third amplifier no one knows what it will do, it could tear the universe apart or make her greedy for even more power. Alina has to face the Darkling one last time or see her loved ones die. I liked this book the most out of the whole trilogy, the characters were likable, and there was a major plot twist that I loved. Overall I enjoyed reading them and would recommend then to anyone who loves fantasy worlds.

Zoe's Review: As the last one in the trilogy, it is by far the best. This book was really engaging with great character development and lots of plot twists. As Alina and Mal prepare once again to take on the Darkling, they have to figure out who is on their side while also trying to understand the third amplifier better. The whole time I was reading it I was on edge wondering what could happen next unable to predict it. It had me yelling out in frustration and excitement with great plot twists. This book was also funnier then the other two as Mal got more sarcastic and comfortable around the Grisha. I liked the ending, but I definitely think that it could have gone another direction and been even better. I really liked how it took on the edge of religion, because in most books magic or super powers are opposed by religion or other organizations, but in this story, they do not use religion in the typical fearful way but use it to add more depth and meaning to everything (this book is by no means religious, but it has its own religion created within it). Overall this is a great conclusion to the series and I highly recommend it.

Originally reviewed at http://www.shaelit.com/2014/06/review-ruin-and-rising-by-leigh-bardugo/

ALINA

Wow. Alina. ALINA STARKOV, ladies and gentlemen. The places Leigh Bardugo takes her main character in this book. Can we just stop for a moment and remember the Alina we first met in the opening chapter of Shadow and Bone? Our little Alina, so stubborn and mouthy even then, but also incredibly insecure and unsure of her place in the world. The transformation she has undergone through the course of the series just astounds me. She goes from being a girl who can barely climb a flight of stairs to the shining hope of Ravka. She started as a manipulated young thing, easily seduced by the Darkling and his silver tongue, to a bold and crafty leader who takes just as much as she is taken from.

She has changed so much. In every aspect, she’s changed. Her power? Not just blinding light and Cuts anymore. The things she can do are insane and yet make sense. (Go Team Science!) Her attitude? Alina is in for the long haul. While she still yearns for a quiet, peaceful life, she has her sights set on a more permanent, dangerous goal. Even her physical appearance has been forever altered, thanks to the closing events of Siege and Storm. We’re warned from the beginning that Alina isn’t the girl we first met. In the customary prologue, her form of address changes. It is no longer a story about “the boy” and “the girl.” Instead, it is the trials of “the Saint.” The places the author takes her in terms of power and mastery in this book… My mind, it was blown. She is a battle blade, tested and honed. Mal taught her perseverance, the Darkling taught her the power of fear and mastery, and Sturmhond taught her subtle trickery and the impact of a grand gesture. Every failure, every lesson, every scrap of advice and wisdom—good or bad or somewhere in the middle—has been coalescing inside of our precious Alina, and she uses them all to great effect in this book.

Best of all, despite everything I just said, the two things I love most about Alina haven’t changed. She is still able to laugh, and she never, ever gives up. Never once does she throw her hands in the air and choose to walk away. She considers it, but she doesn’t. Even when pushing forward means sacrificing the things she holds most dear, she chooses to continue for the sake of Ravka. Who she becomes by the end and what sense of self still remains is something I cannot say (spoilers), but I can promise that each step follows the last so that the end result feels inevitable and right.

MAL

Oh Mal. What can I say about Mal? Though I thought his character arc in the last book was logical, he lost some fans in Siege and Storm thanks to his churlish behavior. Happily, the author does not leave him to wallow in his misery. Like Alina, his growth isn’t over. He has a path he must take, a trajectory that keeps him hurtling toward one conclusion. (Which is not to say that Mal doesn’t hold surprises. One surprise in particular left me gaping, while another made me catch my breath.) But watching him continue to remold himself and adapt to his ever-changing life apart from his previous identity as a dutiful soldier and best friend was a genuine treat. Growing up is tough, and this story spares none of the pain, but, as with Alina, Mal’s end feels almost inevitable.

DARKLING

Talk about character growth. The things Leigh Bardugo can do with her villains, uff da. For the first time in the series, Alina and the Darkling battle as equals. They are titans clashing, painting the earth red and spreading destruction in their wake. It makes for a tense, sometimes heart-wrenching story as the Darkling becomes more and more desperate to reign supreme, but this newfound equality also allows us a different view of the Darkling. We were promised the Darkling’s true name, and we receive it, but we also are given so much more.

One of my favorite sayings is that the best antagonists think of themselves as the heroes of their own stories. The Darkling does horrible, unspeakable things in this series, and that trend does not change in Ruin and Rising. Back in Shadow and Bone, he tells Alina to make him her villain, and she does. However, as Alina grows in power, it becomes easier to understand what the Darkling is trying to achieve. His means are vicious and calculating, but the ends he’s trying to accomplish? Even as the Darkling earns his new title of Shadow King, we are reminded that he was, at one time, human. He was a son, a beloved child. And he is all alone on his shadow throne.

STURMHOND

I don’t have to wax poetic on this guy. I love him. He’s back and as awesome as ever. Really, Sturmhond is amazing. He ends up being one of the funniest AND one of the most heartbreaking characters in the entire novel. I love all the many facets that make up our Sturmhond—his humor, his wit, his intelligence, his love of tinkering, his passion for Ravka, his respect for Alina, his love for his family. They’re all here in Ruin and Rising, but he’s also forced to grow and suffer right along with the other characters. Yes, he suffers. My BAAAAAAABY!

THE OTHERS

Heavens, the things Leigh Bardugo can do with secondary characters. These stories are so rich with life. I can’t even with these people. You will come to adore every last one of them, from old friends like David and Genya (my #1 ship in this series, by the way) to new allies like Harshaw and Misha. They all have their own character arcs with their own hopes and dreams and fears and traits entirely independent of Alina and her story. It’s fantastic. While I’ve been a David fan from the first book, I am now thoroughly, hopelessly charmed. Watching Genya come back to herself after Siege and Storm is heartbreaking and exhilarating. Tolya and Tamar remain fabulous. Baghra continues to be Baghra, and it’s a treat to watch her form connections with other characters even while raining abuse upon their heads. Nadia moves from tertiary to secondary character, and her wee brother Adrik comes into his own. Harshaw, a new character, goes from suspicious and annoying to one of my favorite side characters. And ZOYA. Remember Zoya, the raven-haired Grisha seductress? ZOYA. I think we may be BFFs now. (Not really, but sort of.)

They are Alina’s family. They bicker, joke, laugh, fight, and even betray, but they are bound together in a way no man or Grisha can sever. Their motives aren’t always pure, and their endings aren’t universally happy, but recognizing that our young orphans have gathered around themselves a true family unit is satisfying beyond measure.

THE STORY

Buckle up tight. This book manages to squeeze in a lot of events and twists into what felt like a very short time. The grip Ms. Bardugo has on her pacing is masterful. I was dreading the start of Ruin, because I feared oppression and desperation in the lair of the Apparat (whom I loathe, may he die a thousand deaths), but Ms. Bardugo never lets us linger in one place for long, either physically or emotionally. Alina and her small family crisscross the continent, from underground tunnels to mountain ranges to forests to the neverending dark of the Unsea. At the same time, while Ruin visits some incredibly dark and depressing moments, we’re never allowed to sink to an irretrievable depth. The amount of humor in this story blew me away. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion, more often than not mere pages before or after being emotionally shellshocked in some manner. Such rapid shifts are rarely done well, but Ms. Bardugo nails it every time, and in a manner that feels internally consistent with the other books.

Also, ANSWERS. What’s up with Saint Morozova? Answered. How did the amplifiers come to be? Answered. What’s Baghra’s history? Answered. What’s the Darkling’s name? Answered. What’s up with Mal’s crazy tracking talent? Answered. Is Nikolai really an illegitimate child? Answered. WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE GRISHA WEARS ALL THREE AMPLIFIERS? ANSWERED.

THE MESSAGES

I almost didn’t add this part in, but I feel like I must. Ruin and Rising is a big book with big events and big themes. Alina is fighting to save the entire world, which is storyline enough to keep anyone occupied. But amidst it all, we are treated to some fantastic truths, some of which directly pertain to the struggle at hand and some that don’t. The truths are woven in, organically arriving in the course of the story rather than handed to us on a platter. There is a scene around page 157 that blew me away where [SEE ORIGINAL REVIEW FOR SPOILER.] It’s a brilliant scene, one that could have been easily passed over for the sake of the larger story, but one that I’m thankful the author kept.

Ms. Bardugo plays with the nature of good and evil, of the hunger for power vs. the hunger for knowledge, of ends and means, of actions and intentions. In the end, there is no Us vs. Them. All sides trade in shades of right and wrong. Grisha and otkazat’sya, Darkling and Sun Summoner, noble and peasant, Ravkan and Shu and Fjerdan. Thisness and Thatness. We are not so different.

THE ENDING

Like I’m going to tell you! I will say that I was content. I will say that Ms. Bardugo was less bloodthirsty than I had feared, and I yearn for some of the more shocking decisions that I had imagined. However, all the threads came together satisfyingly. I mourned for what was lost and held tight to the new threads that might be explored in the next series. I liked how the story ended and where it left us. But beyond that, you’ll just have to read the book for yourself.

Thank you, Leigh Bardugo, for such a wonderful adventure. Thank you for the friends we’ve made and the places we’ve traveled. I wish I could give you a review equal to what you’ve given us, but my talent falls short. So all I can say is thank you.

Points Added For: Alina, Mal, Sturmhond, the Darkling, David, Genya, Zoya, Harshaw, Misha, Adrik, Tolya, Tamar, Baghra, loss and gain, fantastic world-building, being the anti-Twilight in terms of power dynamics, a satisfying ending.

Points Subtracted For: I actually wanted just a wee bit more devastation (despite being pretty devastated.)

Good For Fans Of: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson, clever characters, well-rounded and realistic secondary characters, science and magic.

Notes For Parents: Language, death, [spoiler]sex[/spoiler].

3 Stars, Completed July 5, 2015

I prolonged this review as long as I could because I was so confused-I’m still confused, actually-with the book itself and how to rate it. Like the first two installments, there was Bardugo’s trademark pacing: so much happened towards the later half however this time a lot was left unexplained as well. And I had more questions especially knowing this was the conclusion.

Ruin and Rising naturally takes place right after the (super crazy) events in Siege and Storm. Alina, Mal, and the other remaining Grisha of the second army are somewhat held captive underground by the Apparat. Alina is getting weaker by the day after her duel with the Darkling and it doesn’t help that she’s unable to summon her powers underground. Nikolai’s survival and location remains unknown, and the Darkling is stronger than ever. In this final installment, Alina must find the third amplifier and save all of Ravka once and for all.

I became a Leigh Bardugo fan after Shadow and Bone. I gave that wonderfully gripping book 4 stars for the great entertainment and small problems I found. Shadow and Bone was awesome so I had high hopes for Siege and Storm. Instead there was a ton of angst, some dry moments, and weird pacing, but we were introduced to an amazing character (guess who). Admittedly, I may have liked Siege and Storm a teeny tiny less than S&B despite what my book review for that one said. But (you guessed right) Sturmhond’s quick wit and charm was the redeeming quality for me. Anyway, what I’m getting to is that I’ve given all Bardugo books under 5 stars despite claiming her to be a newfound favorite author of mine, so I was eager to love this book and give it a perfect rating.

– Let the SPOILERS begin. If you have NOT read the book please only read the bold text to get the important gist –

But after reading, I just could not. The way this book was executed left readers asking one question: why? Not because their favorite character was killed. (Ahem, I will always miss you Aleksander…) But rather so many conflicts, battles, and plots were tied up by loopholes. I couldn’t wrap my head around why Nikolai was able to survive when the rest of nichevo’ya combusted to nothing when the Darkling took his last breath. And Mal’s resurrection? I’ve once mentioned that the “it was all a dream” tactic was the most jaw-dropping, head-bashing twist I ever had to read but honestly the idea of resurrection is just as bad for me. It’s seldom done tastefully in books. Use of resurrection in these books, I hate to say it, warrants an immediate association to soap operas. I mean I’m happy Mal is alive and Alina at least ends up with someone but still. Sigh. All of it just doesn’t make sense and was too convenient. However, I know some people have some serious qualms about Mal being the third amplifier as well, but I can see that. Bardugo supports that well by explaining how Alina’s powers came to light (pun intended) in S&B, Mal’s special tracking abilities, and how the couple was always able to find the amplifiers so quickly.

– SPOILERS end here –

To be honest, I feel like I wouldn’t have asked “why” so often or even thought the plot was too convenient if I read this a different time-say, my Twilight phase when I was younger teenager. But since I’ve read so many exquisitely complex books in terms of plot (we’re all thinking of the same series, I bet) this ending sort of fell flat for me. However, with that being said, don’t get me wrong. This book wasn’t by any means underwhelming. There were adventures, painful betrayals, and steamy-ish romances.

There were even some heart-wrenching moments. One of them being the last Alina and the Darkling scene (don’t read too much into by what I mean as a “last” scene). The Darkling being my favorite character (sorry, Sturmhond love you too but I met the Darkling first), I was so heartbroken and maybe a tear slipped down my cheek. I wish that I could elaborate on what I mean, but I’ve already gone past my spoiler section. Man, I wish WP had a spoiler feature like GR…

For those of you that are invested in the romance in this series: there is a healthy dose of it. I mean in one of Bardugo’s interviews she mentioned she often joked with her publicist that this should be called Ruin and Racy for its steamy scenes. Since I’m not a Malina shipper, I could have cared less about their parts. I get that Mal is sweet but he’s boring and not very understanding at times. In my past reviews of the books in this trilogy, I’ve mentioned that Alina isn’t a really special protagonist either. Together, Mal and Alina’s relationship is pretty cliché, the best friends to dating couple is omnipresent in ya books. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the Nikolai/Alina flirt scenes, even though I don’t ship them. And it goes without saying that my heart couldn’t take the Darkling/Alina scenes:

“Why waste my anger on you when the fault is mine? I should have anticipated another betrayal from you, one more mad grasp at some kind of childish ideal. But I seem to be a victim of my own wishes where you are concerned.” His expression hardened. “What have you come here for, Alina?”

I answered him honestly. “I wanted to see you.”

I caught the briefest glimpse of surprise before his face shuttered again. “There are two thrones on that dais. You could see me any time you liked.”

Who cares if he’s evil? I wouldn’t mind ruling by his side, LOL.

And the scene that surprised me the most (of course, I’m exaggerating; there were other painful/beautiful parts) was this awesomeawesomeawesome Genya/David moment:

“Genya-” David tried.

“Don’t you dare.” She said. Tears welling up again. “You never looked at me twice before I was like this. Before I was broken. Now I’m just something for you to fix.”

“I know metal.” [David]

“What does that have do with anything?” Genya cried.

“I-I don’t understand half of what goes around me. I don’t get jokes or sunsets or poetry. But I know metal.” [David]

“Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what’s inside you? That’s steel. It’s brave and unbreakable. And it doesn’t need fixing.” [David]

You go, David!

Overall I liked how Ruin and Rising ended; I just couldn’t get past by how it was done. Binging the Grisha trilogy was one of the best decisions I’ve made this year. The hype makes perfect sense, and I’m bummed that my journey in this world is over-well not quite I still the novellas to go (but I plan to save those for later). And I’m beyond excited for Six of Crows (and insanely envious of those lucky readers that got ARCs, like how beautiful are these?). Anyway, Ruin and Rising has received a lot of mixed reactions from readers, both fans and non-fans of the world. But I recommend it to readers that have read the first two the trilogy. Despite its flaws there are plenty of enjoyable moments and there’s a clean resolution.

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More reviews at xingsings.wordpress.com

The Grisha trilogy was so good and Leigh Bardugo's world building is amazing. This entire knew world was created and readers just have to jump right-in and figure things out and enjoy it.

This series is totally unexpected and if anyone every complains about YA then hand them this series. In the Grisha books life is hard, there are wars happening, invasions, strife, and so much more. However among the bad you can see bits of good carved out as well. This book was about hard decisions, fighting wars, losing people and finding out who you will become in the face of it. No one is perfect, no person is all good or all bad.

Alina was such an amazing character. She starts off ordinary and she is kind of shy and timid around everyone but Mal, and in the end she turned into such a strong person who has to be strong for other people, who have to lead other people. She also starts off very sweet and innocent and at the end she isn't innocent anymore, she is still kind but she knows she has to show power. Also I love the fact the even though Alina was the good guy she was connected the her anti-hero her villain. She understood him in ways that no one else would, there was a true connection and that both hungered for a power bit Alina stated human and that is the only thing that separated them. Alina stated human because of Mal.

There were fights and very ugly scenes between Mal and Alina but they had a connection that could never have been broken. No matter what Alina had to do Mal would always be with her. Mal kept her grounded and safe. Mal had the most heart in the story and I admit that I found is character to be just okay until near the end of Shadow and Bone, that's when he grew on me and as the story went on you could help but love him. His the light among the darkness in Alina's world and I love them together.

The prince was an unexpected character, half the time he didn't behave like a prince and I loved that about him. Nikolai wasn't snobby or threw his power about. He didn't expect things. Nikolai was a hard worker, loved adventure and genuinely wanted to help his people. Nikolai was smart, charismatic, handsome and a true leader. I really liked Nikolai and I am also supprised by the fact that I did not want to see him Alina together. This girl didn't need the prince to be her love, just her friend and I loved how Bardugo got that message across.

The Darkling is one of the most captivating characters I have ever read. I came late to the game, this series already had a fandom so tidbits of information was already out there. So from the start I knew the Darkling was the bad guy, and I read expecting "Okay, he is going to be evil and I will hate him to the core of my being", but funny thing is, I didn't. I cared about the Darkling almost from the very beginning and as time went on I cared about him even more. You could see where he went wrong, how his mind got twisted and truly sad his family legacy is. Also a part of me could see how Alina and him could be together and I do think that in his way he loved her as much as he could. Don't get me wrong I knew that the Darkling had gone to far and need to be stopped, hell I was cheering for Alina to win but because of how the Darkling was written you couldn't but feel that there is no way that this story is going to end right.

I don't know how Bardugo managed it but she gave me an ending that I could handle. I wasn't expecting it and I warn you know I had a few "WTF!" moments and I was also sobbing like a child through out this book, however in the end I felt very satisfied with the story.

This is a must read series.

Ruin and Rising is the 3rd and final book in the Grisha trilogy. It's been a wonderful journey and I will dearly miss many of the characters in this series. I hated to see it end but I was very happy with how everything tied up.

After Alina's showdown with the Darkling in Siege and Storm she is left hiding underground in a weakened state under the Apparat's protection. Alina is still determined to find the fire bird and take that last amplifier for herself. This book is full of reveals. Some were surprising, some I already had my suspicions about but they were all exciting.

Thankfully, Mal's behavior was less irritating to me in this book. As he comes to terms with all that is happening and focuses on his task I found myself no longer disliking him. He just lacks the charm and mystery of the Darkling and Nikolai's humor and charisma which made both of them fascinating leaving Mal a bit bland in comparison.

I was thrilled when Nikolai made his grand appearance and is it my imagination or does he get better with every book? If Bardugo ever gives him his own series I will be first in line to read it!

"Being around Nikolai was always like this, watching him shift and change, revealing secrets as he went. He reminded me of the wooden nesting dolls I'd played with as a child. Except instead of getting smaller, he just kept getting grander and more mysterious."

Everything was wrapped up nicely and despite a good deal of loss and sadness I still walked away from this series feeling satisfied. I may not have chosen the ending that we got, and there were so many different ways it could have gone that I would have been very pleased with, but I think it was a good ending to a wonderful series!

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo is the thrilling conclusion to the Grisha trilogy and wow does it pack a punch. Ruin and Rising combined everything I’ve loved about this trilogy so far and added a whole lot of feels to the mix. If you haven’t started The Grisha trilogy yet and enjoy fantasy, you really just have to get on that ;-). There will be major spoilers below if you haven’t read Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm! I also have to warn you that this is going to be one of those reviews where I struggle to contain my enthusiasm a bit, haha.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha #3)
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on June 17th, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Length: 432 pages
How I got my copy: Borrowed

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Strengths:
-Ruin and Rising overall delivers an epic and satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. After finishing in a day, I sat back and just had to soak it all in since I was that impressed.
-There are some questions that have been niggling in my mind throughout the first two books and they are finally answered in Ruin and Rising. I love a series that is able to make me happily go along with quirks and not even realize that they are strange until they become important to the larger story and Ruin and Rising does a great job of this.
-Ruin and Rising has a fair amount of romantic tension because of the situation that Alina and Mal are now in (i.e., any hope of a normal life is doomed), but I found that that tension was well-balanced with happy moments and other important elements (like this war thing). Therefore, I didn’t get sick of Alina and Mal, and instead just wanted everyone to be happy even though they can’t be because war is hard.
-The pacing of Ruin and Rising really impressed me. At first I was worried at how much plot needed to be fit in, but I never found myself feeling rushed or bored. I really did read this one in a day and enjoyed every minute of it. The action is once against well-balanced with calmer moments so that I didn’t feel stressed (action heavy books can stress me out >.>), yey!
-While I wouldn’t say that Ruin and Rising has a plot twist necessarily, it does have some awesomely unexpected developments. Despite the path for Alina being fairly well laid out at this point, things still don’t follow the plan by any stretch of the imagination, so I didn’t get bored :).
-I love the accuracy of the titles in the Grisha series and Ruin and Rising is no exception. Bardugo doesn’t shy away from the consequences of war, but that knowledge that horrible things can happen adds a delicious sense of realism and tension to Ruin and Rising. Just have the tissue box ready!

Weaknesses:
-This is one of those rare books where I struggled to come up with anything to put here. I decided to read Ruin and Rising without rereading the previous two books (which is my standard policy really) and did find myself struggling at times to remember events the characters were referencing (or even who certain characters are). Therefore, I think that if you are inclined to reread or brush up on events of previous books, you’ll have a better and deeper reading experience.

Summary:
Ruin and Rising is a phenomenal conclusion to a truly superb YA fantasy series. It continues the fast pace and rich world that we’ve come to love, while still going in directions that I didn’t expect at all. Anyone who enjoys fantasy (adult or YA) really has to give the Grisha trilogy a try; it is just too much fun to pass up. And now forgive me while I squee :D.

"This is what Ravka is. It made orphans. It made misery."
YES!!
This series has redeemed itself!!!!!
After reading the last book, I was weary. I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep reading but I kept being told that this book makes up for it so I plunged right in... and everybody else was right! Thank the saints!
I was annoyed with Alina for most of the series, so much that I didn't care for he happiness but this book definitely changed my mind with that ending. It made my heart ache for her and I could feel her pain as if it were my own.
Mal. Oh, Mal. He owns my heart. It seriously hurt like nobody's business whenever I saw him hurting, emotionally and physically. There were times that I couldn't take it anymore that I kept putting it off. I caved in seconds later because a hurting Mal was better than no Mal at all.
And another character I am obsessed with is Nikolai!!! That man is a breath of fresh air. He iscrucial to the plot and without him, I am sure it wouldn't ahve been as amazing. We get to see a side of him we rarely have the opportunity to see and it just makes him even more lovable.
Also, I don't know why there is so much hype for the Darkling... I honestly did NOT care for him at all. I didn't pity him nor did I root for him. He was just... there. He didn't prove to me that he was the most lethal villain from them all, I have seen worse. He also didn't prove to me that he was worth my pity. I loved him in the first book and I thought I was beginning to think why everybody is so obsessed with him but after that book, I never gave him a second thought.
This book was nothing short of intense, badass and wild! Secrets are uncovered and the characters go through more trials.
And that plot twist!!! I didn't see that coming at all and it was more of a punch to the gut. I was so scared from the time it was revealed that I almost didn't finish this because of it. I didn't want to keep reading in case my deepest fear would come to be. I sobbed my eyes out and I had to take a long moment to compose myself before caving in and reading it to the end. This book shattered my heart but it definitely put the pieces back together and I will always love it for that.

I'm finished and I don't know what to do with myself. I have lost so much sleep over the past week-and-a-half reading this series start to finish. Getting lost in this incredible Grisha-verse that Leigh Bardugo so cunningly crafted. I put off the last hundred pages of Ruin and Rising for a couple of days. It sat on my nightstand and taunted me with the fact that in just one hundred pages I would be finished and no more would come after.

I love and I hate books like that.

The last book was a worthy finale. All the set up and world building and tension created a beautiful farewell - if not the one I was exactly hoping for.

I get it, endings are hard. And if you've set up several possibilities, then there are bound to be disappointed readers when they don't get the one they had their heart set on. Still, art is not a democracy. You don't get to vote on the outcome. And Bardugo ended her series the way she thought best. I don't think she did it lightly. You could tell a lot of planning and love was involved.

I marveled at the cast of characters - how much it had grown from book one and how much I cared about each of them. How I tensed at the culmination, afraid that someone I loved would die. It amazed me because I recently finished a series where several characters died and I was surprised how little I cared, how detached I felt from them all. Bardugo has done a masterful job at building characters that stay with you and tug on your heartstrings.

I give Ruin and Rising 4 stars simply because it wasn't the ending I would have liked. Maybe that's petty, but it's my opinion. It's still an amazing, creative, original series and I will recommend the hell out of it to anyone who'll listen.

While this book has disappointed some, I found it a wonderful conclusion to an incredible trilogy. The overall plot is creative and unique with its Russian influences and the plot continues to strengthen in Ruin and Rising as answers too many questions are provided and all loose ends tied up neatly with some surprises in store. By the epilogue of this book, I was happy with its story all wrapped up, even if Bardugo didn’t always take things in a direction similar to what I would’ve selected.

The characters are seen in their final stages of growth, from Alina’s confidence to Mal maturing to a better type of man. Relationships develop amongst Alina’s friends and come together nicely, and a favorite character of mine finds their confidence and beauty. The characters and plot work together nicely to bring the whole story together, making this final installment something to truly enjoy.

This final novel does have its share of loss and sadness, with any story taking place in a war, but it is never too much or too little to be realistic and it all comes together in Bardugo’s ending. This trilogy has been a pleasure for me to read with its unique story, in-depth characters, the well done writing, all coming together for a wonder trilogy I truly enjoyed.

It’d been a while since I read SIEGE AND STORM so it took me a little bit to get re-acclimated to Bardugo’s world and remember where book two left off. Once I did I was sucked right back into the story, perched on Alina’s shoulder and watching the horror around her unfold.

I really don’t have a whole lot to say about RUIN AND RISING. It was fantastic, that much is sure. It had plot twists that had me taken aback and I think I muttered a ‘whoa’ or two as I was reading. People I work with already know I talk to myself so it was no surprise to them that I’m muttering into a book. The ending had me wanting to yell and throw the book and then crawl over on my knees to pick it back up and pet it and nurse it back to health because I didn’t mean it WHY DO YOU MAKE ME DO THESE THINGS? My emotions were a bit all over the place toward the end and it really took all the power in me not to burst into uncontrollable, ugly sobbing at my desk as I was reading. I kept myself together. I’ve broken bones that hurt less than that.

You can expect the same level of writing wonderfulness in RUIN AND RISING that was present in the last two books. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them WORDS but they came damn close. And when it came to the old timey storytelling that happened off and on to explain some of the characters, that’s where the WORDS were. The rest of the time they tore at my heart a little but my hair didn’t get blown back. In all fairness that doesn’t happen all that often.

But Bardugo is good at emotions and really digging into characters and making you feel what they feel on top of ripping out your own feelings and laying them bare in front of you. It’s kind of awful but oh so pleasurable at the same time. It makes all the characters all the more real as she shaves a piece of your heart off bit by bit. Nothing too deep or anything . . .

The ending was exceptional and when I say the book comes just shy of WORDS, when you look at the bookend moments of the story, that’s where the WORDS are. Her storytelling is lyrical. But since Alina isn’t a lyrical individual speaking in excellent prose, she isn’t going to be spouting WORDS. And that’s okay. It’s a good mix of book that excellently showcases Barudgo’s breadth of style and talent. Contented sighs were had all around. Plus some [many] tears that cramped up my throat a little.

RUIN AND RISING was a satisfying end to the Grisha trilogy. I really couldn’t have asked for a better book. It maintained the same high level of writing, the characters only got more fantastic and real and emotional and JUST TAKE MY HEART WHY DON’T YOU. The world was dark and beautiful and so vivid in my mind it might as well have been a real place. And the ending was an ending my heart was okay with. It only hurt for a little and then we all got a bandaid and Bardugo held our ends to walk us over the finish line as we sobbed and snotted into our t-shirts. If a book ever gave me a hangover, it was this one.

5

It's hard to say goodbye to such a great series :(

Ruin and Rising was exactly that. Many were ruined, many were killed, betrayed and left alone, left orphaned. There were battles, destruction, fires, and explosions. But after all that evil, the Sun keeps shining, shining brighter then ever. People Rise and fight, and sacrifice their lives. People became who they were meant to be. They weren't afraid anymore. Life keeps going on.

I really enjoyed learning more about these characters. You think you know them, what their all about but in a second things can change. Alina was weak in the beginning of this book but we see the fight and the determination. Maybe it was just the need that she had for the third amplifier but she also wanted to save her kingdom from darkness and evil.

Everyone on her side have changed for the better too. Mal understood that Alina was who she was and that she wasn't going to change. Genya went from being beautiful and talented, to someone keeping to herself and hiding what the Darkling has done to her. Her looks have changed but she takes it and becomes more confident and stands up for herself. David opens up, <spoiler>he isn't blind anymore he sees Genya</spoiler> and he really helps a lot, they make a very good team. Zoya was never my favorite, I taught she was a b with an itch but she did change a bit. She was more of a frienemie. She would talk crap but still have Alinas back. The twins, Tolya and Tamar were a bit shady at first but they would follow the Sun Summoner all the way to the end, they were strong and powerful, a pair you want on your side.

Let's not forget about Mama Darkling, Baghra. She was strong as nails and will kick anyone's ass even the Darklings ass if she chooses to. She tells Alina her story, it was surprising because she never opens up so her telling Alina the truth was new and sad the story was sad, you can guess what really happened but we will never know. What Baghra did was very brave and shocking, I really felt for her and the Darkling. She was all he had even though he wouldn't have admitted it. Oh he made Alina pay :( there were other new characters that did help Alina, they did their part and will forever be in Alinas life and memory.

I didn't know what to think about Mal for a while. He was distant and kept pushing Alina away. He didn't really understand that this is what Alina was, The Sun Summoner. But he was always by her side. He was her best friend and only person she can trust and run to. How their story ended was cute and beautiful. <spoiler>They lived and keep living</spoiler> :) They helped others that are just like them, orphans.

Nikolai really did go through something that was unexpected. I was shocked I didn't know what was going to happened, I just hoped that he was going to be alright. I mean he was Nikolai, the cute, arrogant, Prince, friend that we all need. Even though he was good and wanted the best for his kingdom he also wanted to use Alina, there was no love there, but he did want to grow to love her.

Now the Darkling, i can't, i cannot forget about him. We really learn more about him and his past and family. He is a lonely soul. A sad one. Maybe he saw that finally there was someone like him. Someone he can rule with but he did it all wrong. I really liked reading about him. Every time he showed up and said something, I was eating it all up, you just didn't know what to expect, he was smart, conniving and evil. You had to watch your back. Those moments where Alina and the Darkling were alone, ooooohhhh so much tension... isn't it wrong, he's the bad guy, he's so evil, and I'm over here hoping something happened between them two even though I do like the other two guys the same. It's so confusing, I should hate him but I can't. Even Alina couldn't after everything he's done. The end was sad, he was alone and only Alina was there for him. We learn his name, and only Alina will ever know it :( :( I really liked all these guys. The best friend, the Prince and the Darkling. All very different. But will do in my book :)

This was a very emotionally confused series. You root for the childhood friend, you want a new better King and you want the bad guy to be good. I really Really will miss these characters, and this story. I like books like these with strong kickass girls and a story to tell and a journey to travel. Will miss everything :(

This is a very good finish to an excellent trilogy. It looks like Alina and company are in a bad place but Alina has learned very well from the Darkling. She quickly takes control and gets the story back on track. She does worry more about why she wants to get the third amplifer and that does add something to her character. But the real point to me was Alina and Mal choosing each other no matter what the cost. Of course it is not that easy. Everything gets burned to the ground but I was very happy with the ending. I am glad that Bardugo is not done with this world because there is so much that we do not get to see but I will when I read Six of Crows.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Ruin and Rising a book that I was debating on how I felt going into it. I was excited for another Leigh Bardugo book, but after the ending of Siege and Storm I had doubts on the direction this book would lead me. So I wasn't all that hyped going into it as I had been for Siege and Storm, but that didn't deter me from the plot and the twists and turns that Leigh Bardugo throws at her readers. The story was complex and at times it was heart-wrenching. While I didn't agree with the ending entirely, it was warm and cozy and just plain enjoyable.

The book picks up shortly after the end of Siege and Storm with maybe a few days/months having past. Alina's recovering in the midst of the Apparat and his nearly completely delusional zealots who worship as if she's a god. Alina has no interest in being their worshiping figure, but wants to give them freedom from not only the Darkling but anyone who wants the power he possess. Which is one thing that keeps coming back to me over and over with Alina; she tends to react for the greater good before thinking about herself. It occurs more often than anything in this book, which is more heroic and saint-like than what she thinks.

Alina and Mal are on the hunt for the phoenix to complete Morozova's color, and while she they are searching for it, the Darkling is on their tail nearly at every turn. The Darkling has declared nearly all out war on anyone affiliated with Alina and Nikolai. I find that there wasn't enough Darkling in this book. He wasn't a villain more of an evil guy that just happens to show up at random times. Yea there are some visions and insights into him, but there it just never added up to gain an attachment or fear him at all.

Now Nikolai was a figure that while being the sassy attractive figure that everyone grew to love in Siege and Storm. However in Ruin and Rising he just falls sort of his normal attachment. I rarely found that he was trying to win Alina over like previous and was more of that creepy guy hanging out in the bushes. But further when he gets involved with the Darkling the outcome just leaves him a shell of who he was. For a good part of the book he was the light, the comic relief of the book and by removing that the book just got dark and depressing. It needed Nikolai, and far far more of his light heartedness.

Getting on with Mal, there was just not enough of him to really comment on that anyone who read the first book wouldn't already know. The character growth for Mal was what he was in the beginning, being the sword that will fight for Alina. While that is at times costly, it just keeps Mal locked into one roll that cannot and will not change. I find Mal likable and would have preferred to see what he could have done if he didn't need to find that phoenix for Alina. It was just so tragic to see a preferred love interest just get locked into one spot and not allowed to deviate.

The world in this book is generally the same. The beginning of the novel is rather lackluster tunnel system, that is more confusing than anything else. I wanted more out of this, some sort of way to tell what is going on inside the tunnels. Outside and in the normal world which is the rest of the book, it was all similar to the previous parts of the series. Ruin and Rising just rinsed and repeated what's already been done. There was a new outpost with Nikolai and the little journey to find the Phoenix. But at the same time, so much of the book was reused and rehashed, that it just stole from what hope was there.

I would say that this book was an easy book to rate and deserves the rating it got. However, when I started writing this review and even in my notes I have it done for a solid 4.0 rating. The reason it got lowered is after typing up some of the notes and the comments I had on the characters and how the world just wasn't there. I found that the title lives up to the plot. The first two were decent to great, but this just seemed to fall where Siege and Storm left off. Its sad to say, I am not sure what could have been done to make this book better other than to just start over. It just fell flat.

3.5 Stars

Plot: Ruin and Rising picks up right after the cliffhanger in Siege and Storm. The Darkling has even more power now and Alina has finally come to terms with her attraction to her three gentlemen suitors (we can call them that, can't we?). Ruin and Rising was nonstop action that had me at the edge of my seat in hopes that everything ended well for these characters I have come to love. While Bardugo's writing was solid and kept me glued to the pages, I wasn't 100% satisfied with the ending for some of the characters (and out of fear of spoiling it, I'll leave it at that).

Characters: I have never been so torn about the love interest in a series as I have for The Grisha Trilogy. In Shadow and Bone, The Darkling was such an attractive and seductive character and I couldn't help but fall in love with him. As the series progressed, he was portrayed more and more as our villain and it overwhelmed me. Did I still love the Darkling? Would he ever be redeemed? How am I supposed to feel?? Because I was so attached to him from Book 1 (hell, probably more attached than Alina), I didn't love the third book as much. The other characters were memorable and often brought a smile to my face or made me worry about their general safety. Alina's transformation is beautiful and it's what I want from all my female MCs from here on out.

World Building: The world of the Grisha is one of my favorite worlds to be transported to and I felt that this world was even more enhanced with Bardugo's novellas that gave background to the culture and folktales.

Short N Sweet: The Grisha Trilogy is one of my favorites stories of all time, while I wasn't completely sold on the ending, this is a world that I will never forget!

I have no idea where to begin with this review. I learned a few things early on about R&R, stuff I wasn't exactly liking, but I've been anticipating it for two years now and I was going to read it anyway. I had absolute faith in the last installment of the Grisha trilogy. Shadow & Bone was probably my favorite read of 2012. I would love to say R&R was great. Five stars, a stunning conclusion and all that. Sadly, I cannot say it honestly. This book has left me feeling confused, annoyed and empty.

WARNING: Spoilers will be present here. I advise you to shoo if you haven't read it yet. Let's start with the good things: as always, the writing rocked. The Grisha world is as vivid and beautiful as ever. Above all else, this is what sets these books apart: how wonderfully they're told. I wasn't really expecting Mal to be the third amplifier. I figured if the first two were supposedly mythical, mighty beasts, why wouldn't the third one be as well? (And maybe I got excited for a second because that meant he would have to die.)

The side characters are also wonderful. There are so many series out there with great heroes, but the secondary people fade into the background. Not here. Zoya was developed marvelously, and she had me laughing most of the time. So did Harshaw and his cat; though he was around a very short period of time, I found myself very sad when he died. Genya and David finally got together! That was one of the best scenes; that and her confrontation with the King. Baghra was great. Her hard life has really shaped her; she's so bitter and rough around the edges, but in the end I think she helped Alina out quite a bit. She really did love her son, and she felt horrible about making him into the Darkling by the way she raised him. Her final moment in the story was very sad, and I could actually see a mother/son dynamic between them for the first time.

Now onto the bad things, the things that led to shattering my heart beyond repair. Let me make one thing clear: I do not want to come off as one of those people who whine endlessly because their pair in the love triangle/square didn't win. Am I upset I didn't get what I wanted? Sure. But that's not my main problem. The first thing that bothered me was this: I feel like Mal and Alina have zero chemistry as a couple. It was like I was emotionally dead inside whenever they were together. Ultimately I was shipping Darkling/Alina, but Nikolai was better with her too. His personality came alive on the page, so vibrant and charming. I would have been totally content with N/A. Mal wasn't present that much in S&B, he was a jerk throughout S&S, so by the time he became a half tolerable character it was too little, too late.

The next thing that got under my skin was Alina losing her powers. It feels like she's right back to where she was at the beginning of the series. It almost makes everything feel pointless. I mean, this series it's about magic and epic adventure - yet it ends with "an ordinary life filled with ordinary things". Now I respect Alina's right to choose what truly made her happy, but who wants ordinary in a fantasy novel? I hated that she had to give it all up to be with Mal. It was part of who she was! It was what they spent all their time arguing about in Siege and Storm!

And then of course there's the biggest problem of all: the way the author dealt with the Darkling. Let me just take moment to say: I didn't want him to die. I do agree that he was in need of some kind of punishment, but death? And I have to say, I feel like I was duped into believing things that weren't there. The author called R&R " Ruin and Racy", but the Darkling (who's real name is Aleksander, by the way) and Alina never even kiss. The phrase "Darkness Never Dies" was marketed heavily last year. Why was that done? It's obviously not true. Then there the fact that Bardugo has repeatedly insisted that the Darkling is not evil. And we see hints of real emotion from him, like when he's mourning his mother. The dedication of R&R says: "Sometimes our heroes don't make it to the end." The Darkling is the only main character that perished, so I can only assume that's directed at him.

If he's supposed to be a hero, why should I root for the supposed protagonist, the one who murders him while he's confused and vulnerable? And since the Darkling is only around a grand total of five short scenes, we never really get to know what the author means about him. Alina has to be one of the most frustrating protagonists in the history of literature. The Darkling said it best himself in S&B: "Fine. Make me your villain." And that's exactly what she did. Because she refuses to see him differently and we are limited to her point of view, this complex interesting character becomes a one-dimensional cartoon-ish villain. Alina ran from him in S&B, which I understood. She was afraid. But she had much more power in R&R! She could have at least attempted once to reason with him. But she doesn't.

She condemns his every action despite having done horrible things herself. She leaves a ton of people to die on the Fold in S&B. She and her friends murder an entire band of soldiers in R&R. With these things in mind, it ticked me off when Alina thinks in her head that she is killing the Darkling out of mercy.

If killing someone is a merciful thing, how is she better than him? There was nothing merciful about it, and to say there was is laughable. Alina killed the Darkling because she wanted to, simple as that. So she wouldn't have to deal with his manipulation and games anymore. Besides, who was she to judge that he was completely beyond redemption? She could have had him locked up, she could have done something different. He himself told her she could make him a better man. But no. She chooses to kill him. Out of mercy. Ha! Why would the author make a character like this only to kill him off later on? What was the point?

Not to mention his death was heartbreaking. He was an ancient creature, suddenly gone in two seconds flat due to a blade to the heart. The Darkling stays dead; Mal does not extend the same courtesy. The Darkling realizes right before he is murdered that he's going to be alone forever. He was never really in love with Alina, but he wanted what she could have been to him. A partner with which to spend eternity. Sadly for him, Alina was not suited for this role. The unfairness makes me want to scream. While he died, Alina cries. And later she says he loved Ravka and wanted it's love in return. That he was a boy burdened with eternity. I hated her for mourning him, even a little. You either are happy you killed him or not. Get over yourself, seriously.

If someone had asked me ages ago to pick out the worst possible ending for this series, I would have described Ruin and Rising. Though I can't bring myself to like it much, I would still read them if you're interested. They're captivating and wholly original. And hopefully you turn out to be one of the people who loved this ending, not one of the bitter people like me.

2 stars

*Edit* - After some consideration, I've decided that something else bothers me. Baghra says in R&R that the Darkling's father was the most powerful Heartrender she could find. Mal was saved from death by Heartrenders. So if the Darkling's father was so powerful, wouldn't he have inherited some of that? Couldn't he have tried to heal himself? And in the Ruin and Rising Q&A, Bardugo won't truly confirm his death. It kind of makes me speculate, but I've made the mistake of doing that before.

Review originally posted on Goodreads.

Ruin and Rising is yet another shining example of Leigh Bardugo’s literary excellence. The world building is, for lack of a better word, perfection. It’s so incredibly immersive that I’m still having trouble processing that I am not in Ravka hours after finishing it.

The characters have such great depth that it’s difficult to imagine them as something a person created with just words on a page. Each character has their own feel and their own history. I could easily see myself taking part in many of the conversations between characters, though I prefer to avoid the ones that end in explosions.

The story itself is bittersweet and absolutely stunning. Everything comes together and all questions are answered at the end of this series finale. I only wish I could forget it to read it again for the first time.

For this review and more, please visit my blog at vicariousbookworm.wordpress.com

In this heartrending final installment of Leigh Bardugo's best-selling Grisha Trilogy, Alina finds herself weak and in hiding after the Darkling overthrows Ravka's capital. Her plans, however, don't include staying underground with the Apparat and the fanatics who worship her as a living saint. Instead, she desperately wants to find the firebird and claim it as her last hope for defeating the Darkling. But once her best friend Mal and the last remaining Grisha on her side help Alina escape, she discovers truths she'd never fathomed about the Darkling's past and the history behind Morozova's amplifiers. Will she be willing to do what it takes for the sake of strengthening her light-summoning powers and saving her country?

For me, Ruin and Rising is a welcome rebound from Siege and Storm. It's also the grimmest act of the trilogy, missing missing the humor from the previous two books but tugging at my heartstrings hard enough to make me cry. (Tears always earn a book bonus points!) Also, I thought Alina's obsession with the firebird was necessary (some fans weren't keen on it), and I didn't see the big plot twist coming, either. And as shocking as said twist was, I appreciated how it forced Alina to re-evaluate the person she could have become.

The only real issue I had with Ruin and Rising was the swampy beginning. It seemed to take forever for Alina and her crew to leave the underground, and only then does the story feel like it's moving along. After that, Bardugo's evocative prose was able to shine, and a number of supporting characters endured some fascinating development. The ending is also more satisfying than I could have hoped for. So, if you ask me, Ruin and Rising redeems this series, and has made the Grisha Trilogy one of my favorite YA fantasy series of all time.

Originally posted on: acrossthebookiverse.blogspot.com

This book demonstrated less rising and more ruin if you ask me. While the first hundred pages didn't drag me in, it certainly more than made up for it in the last two hundred or so. I'm not even all that sure about how I feel about Ruin and Rising, there were so many twists and turns and even then I didn't really like how it ended.

Alina Starkov is on the lookout for the third and last amplifier, the firebird. The Darkling's forces are closing in and the need for Alina's power is greater than ever. Torn between a life she wants and the life she has, nothing has ever seemed so helpless. People are dying left and right and no one even has an inkling as to where the firebird could be or if it even exists. Can Alina battle her heart and gain the power she needs to defeat the Darking? Or is all lost?

I usually try to keep my reviews relatively spoiler free, but for this one I can't promise anything. There will be spoilers in here, so if that bothers you, I suggest you look away now.

The first one hundred pages was all information I already knew or didn't particularly care about. Alina healing, angsty stuff, self loathing, the normal stuff. Things really picked up when Nikolai came into play. I cannot express my love for that prince enough. He has a silver tongue and he's interesting, he's just a great character. And when he told Alina he would propose to her if they survived the battle, I was all over that. It might not be the most romantic, but I really thought they'd be a cute couple. I honestly thought Nikolai was going to die. When he turned into that creature I was so upset. Next person, the Darkling. I love him. I shipped him with Alina so hard. I really think that if Alina had stayed with him, she could have changed him. In the end, I felt so bad for him, he just wanted to be loved and to share his life with someone like him. Mal. I never particularly liked Mal, I thought he was a little too needy and that he held Alina back most of the time, but I actually found myself liking the scenes between him and Alina. Now, that ending. I didn't want to the Darkling to die. In a perfect world, Alina would have used her light to cast out the darkness in him and made him a better person so they could live together happy with their power. Instead, I got almost the exact opposite. Not only did the Darkling die, but Mal was resurrected. Biggest kicker of all, Alina lost her powers. All of them. Completely normal. That made me mad. Phew! So much happened, I couldn't possible address all of it. Overall, I respect the action and writing and the overall amazingness of Ruin and Rising, but I can't agree with that ending.

This review and more can be found at The Heart of a Book Blogger (http://theheartofabookblogger.com).

The Grisha trilogy is one of my favorites. I love the unique world Leigh Bardugo has created along with all her characters. I especially love how it has pieces of Russian folklore—something I haven’t seen in any of the series I’ve read before. If you haven’t read this series yet, you need to get on it! I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but this trilogy is amazing. It will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout each book.

Ruin and Rising will leave you heartbroken in all the right ways. The ending is perfect for the series. Everything you thought you knew will be flipped around. Leigh’s writing kept me flipping the pages faster and faster with all the twists and turns.

The romance in this book has taken me on a rollercoaster ride with all the ups, falls, turns, and upside downs imaginable. There are three love interests in this trilogy, and I can honestly say I was rooting for each of them at some point in the series. There’s the best friend, the prince, and the villain. How Leigh pulled each of these off so well? I will never know. In the end, Alina chooses the right boy for the life she needs.

I loved how Leigh wrapped up all the loose ends so nicely. I enjoyed this read immensely, and can’t wait for Leigh’s next book, Six of Crows.

Alas, yet another series come and gone. I was so sad to let this series go, and I wasn’t quite sure that I wanted to. Thank god I have a few novellas to keep me in the world just a little bit longer.

I wasn’t completely wowed by Shadow and Bone, but I thought that the series kept getting better and better with Ruin and Rising being the best. Shadow and Bone set up the story. Siege and Storm was about the politics and trying to figure out if they really can take on the Darkling. Ruin and Rising is where it all came together.

What I liked about the story was the fact that it all came full circle back to the fold. When we left Siege and Storm, Alina and the rest of her group were driven underground with the Apparat’s crazy cult fanatics. But Alina knows that she has to go get the firebird in order to defeat the Darkling while building an army that can defeat the Darkling’s forces. Along the way, they discover the truth about the amplifiers and it changes everything. I think its pretty predictable that they are gearing up for this big fight against the Darkling, and what better places for everything to finally be settled in the fold? I wasn’t sure what was going to happen in the story. I knew the kind of ultimate ending, but what about everyone else? What happens to Mal? Tolya and Tamar? To Nickolai?

I was satisfied with the ending. I thought it was perfect and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The complicated mess at the end just made everything better but broke my heart all the same. I’m trying not to give too much away because I want you to truly enjoy this story. It was a bitter sweet end.

As for the characters, I wanted to see more of the Darkling. He was missing for most of Siege and Storm so I thought we’d get to see lots of the Darkling in book 3. He was there for about the same amount of time, but really I don’t think theres anything else he could have done to add to the story. The Darkling is the Darkling, and he will always remain as such. Mal didn't win me over in the first book, but by the end of the second book I was really rooting for him and Alina to be together. I was okay with Nickolai as a choice, but I knew that would come at a cost. I loved all the side characters as well. I loved Genya and David, Zoya and her smart ass mouth, Harshaw and his weird obsession with fire, Tamar and Tolya and their unwavering faith.

This story was not short of action. Your emotions will go on this wild roller coaster and you’ll have no idea when its going to stop. Don’t think for a minute that anything worse couldn’t happen, because it will. The story was a little slow at first with Alina stuck with the Apparat, but the action quickly picked up and it was non stop from there. This was a great ending to the series, and I’m really sad to let it go because it really did grow on me. But luckily, Six of Crows comes out in the end of September. This is a new series by Leigh Bardugo which is set in the same world and set some time after the events of Ruin and Rising. People have been talking about this book non stop so I really can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

If you haven’t read this series yet, please do! Its a great story with fantastic world building. If you’ve only read the first book, please continue! It gets much better!

My Thoughts:

Anyone remember the song from Boys II Men about saying goodbye? Well, I did shed a few tears with this one. I really didn't want to say goodbye to Alina, Mal, Nicholai, hell I kinda miss the Darkling too! Who wouldn't? This series wrapped its magical arms around me and just squeezed my heart so much that it hurt to say goodbye to these characters.

I feel like everyone had grown so much through the three books and become what the world needed them to be, even if it left us disappointed for the outcome. I felt like this book was so much more than just a story about right and wrong, good and evil. The Darkling was charismatic; charming even while he was committing the most despicable acts throughout the book. I seen there was so much more to him than meets the eye and knew he was pushed in this direction. That isn't an excuse for him but I enjoyed learning more about him as a child, just so I could understand his brand of evil better.

I believe Alina respected him at first and of course she did have a slight crush on him { who wouldn't?} but there was more to it than that. She felt connected to his emotions because some of them were her own. So I agree with the ending and I am glad that it was finished the way it was. Compassion is a strong force just as much as hate and love is.

Bardugo put us through some serious tear jerking moments in the final book. Yes, there was people that were lost that I didn't want to lose but again, it shaped the outcome in a way that fit for every character. Leigh Bardugo is a wonderful writer who makes me question my very sanity as I read her stories. She gives us insight into the innermost feelings of some of the darkest characters ever and we find ourselves understanding some of their motives and giving in to some pity for these people. She shows us that we can't just group everyone into the "good" category and the "bad" category because basically people have layers. I wonder if our author was fan of Shrek?

I really believe that Ruin and Rising did a good job of bringing the series to a close-even if it hurt like hell and it wasn't what I was expecting for Alina. After everything that happened, the ending seemed so simple. But maybe that was the complexity of it; that no one was expecting it. We were shocked right along with all of the characters and it was beautiful.

I cried for this book and yet my tears wasn't all sad. I was happy for these people {yes I know they are not real, only in my heart } and I felt connected to them and genuinely vested in their lives.

I also loved reading the Darkling's short story that I got in the back of my book { Barnes & Noble edition}. I loved that it was at the end of the story; of the series and it took us inside the Darkling before he became the terror everyone knew. He was just a boy and I loved seeing him in this fragile way.

All in all, I was extremely happy with the third and final book in The Grisha Series, Ruin and Rising. It captured the entire thrill of the series again and everything seemed to come full circle in a way that was beautiful and sad and destined.
I have to give it five hearts! Even many more for the love I felt for this series!

It's hard to organize my thoughts about this book. I was pretty disappointed in the 2nd book, but I still had to see how the stories of Alina, Mal, Nikolai, and the Darkling will end. Besides, I had high hopes for Alina after Siege and Storm's ending. With all that, I dove into this book.

While this book has a fast-paced plot, it's still the characters that drove this story. I'm going to start with Alina again. After her wishy-washy ways in the 2nd book, her determination to defeat the Darkling shone through in this one. She still whines internally a lot about all the choices she has to form, but she's accepted her lot in life. Mostly, she's accepted that her and Mal are just not meant to be and she's growing to be a Queen for her people. In the end though, I still wasn't super impressed with Alina. Out of all her love interests, I definitely cheered for her and Mal, but the ending just didn't suit the story. It's like Alina and Mal had all these growth during the book, but in the end all that was for nothing because they didn't really grow into that potential.

Mal redeemed himself in my eyes in this book. I liked that he was no longer a pain in the ass and is supporting Alina. He, like Alina, has accepted the fact that they can't be together. Circumstances just won't allow it. In this one he grew up a lot and became more of a man and not a jealous raging idiot-ass.

As for the Darkling, he deserved what he got. I just don't have that fascination for the Darkling, because Alina always thinks of him as a lonely boy, and now I have this image of a pale-faced, skinny, malnourished boy in a dark cloak in my mind. That is not attractive. Because the Darkling's loneliness as a boy is brought up so often to excuse his behaviors, I just can't see him as a man. He's hundreds of years old and you're telling me he never got over his uniqueness as a boy? I don't buy it. The end does not justify the means and I refuse to excuse the Darkling. The author tried hard to make him one of those redeemable villains, but personally I'm happy with his ending. Because there is no other way to stop him. Whoever thinks that the Darkling can be convinced to give up his ambition to rule the world any other way is kidding themselves. The Darkling only wants one thing - to rule. No one can change his mind, not even if Alina really loved him.

Of all the losses in this book, the one thing that hit me the hardest is what happened to Nikolai! I was really about to throw the book across the room and stop reading at that point, but I forged on and hated Leigh Bardugo all the way until the end!

I really liked this book, but compared to all the high fantasies that I read, it just lacked something that makes it 5 stars. I never really bought Alina and Mal's love story. There just aren't enough explanation behind all the Grisha theory. In fact, the Grisha power is really skimped over in the story. Few characters are very complex. The plot is pretty straightforward, not enough backstabbing and intrigue for my appetite. Lastly, the ending with Alina and Mal is a cop out.

I think if you like YA fantasy and some angst, then you should read this series. Obviously tons of people love it. I still liked it although it failed to hit all the right spots for me.

Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide

I put off writing this review for a while. The Grisha Trilogy has been one of my favorites for the past few years and it’s hard to come to terms with it coming to an end. The Grisha Trilogy really became the first series in at least five years that I really felt such a connection to and that I was really enamored with. Leigh Bardugo was the one of the first authors I ever met at my very first author event back in 2012 after I had just started my blog, so I always had this deeper connection to the series because it also was an early part of my blogging career that I’ve grown to love so much.

I started RUIN AND RISING with trepidation – the kind where you just aren’t ready to let go of a story — but I knew that Leigh Bardugo would end the series the way it should be ended and whatever that grand finale was, I trusted her to take the story where it needed to go. Not that I had any doubt but I was definitely not disappointed. RUIN AND RISING was sheer perfection in my eyes and I felt everything was left with finality and a sense of closure as well as a perfect ending.

My favorite thing about RUIN AND RISING was all of the plot development and all of the series-long questions that finally get answered. I’ve developed several theories over the years and it was really interesting to see how that all panned out. Some were close and some were in the right realm but still totally off — which also makes me glad that I wasn’t even able to possibly guess the answers to everything. There were many shocking moments that made me wonder how things could possibly get any better… but I always trusted that the character would end up where they needed to be and I never felt betrayed in that.

Leigh Bardugo is fantastic at incorporating new characters into the mix as well. Readers fell in love with Sturmhond in SIEGE AND STORM and in RUIN AND RISING I really loved the addition of the other Grisha members who work their way into the forefront and developed a new favorite duo in Harshaw and Oncat. Oncat is in fact a cat and somehow Leigh Bardugo managed to make a cat one of my favorite new characters of the bunch. The dynamic between Harshaw and his cat was hilarious and I just loved every scene between them. I always love the banter between all of these characters and it’s so wonderful to have that bit of comic relief — even if it’s gallows humor (which I enjoy anyway!) — when it seems like the world is ending and indeed, the fate of the world is resting on Alina’s shoulders.

The ending of RUIN AND RISING is absolutely epic. The whole book really was, actually, but the second half really pushed the book forward into what I felt was the perfect ending for this trilogy. I was surprised, happy, shocked, angry, sad, overjoyed, and amazed. This book — and this whole series really — brought me through such an array of emotions. I never knew what to expect and I was always grateful for the constant surprises — both the happy and the sad — because they always brought a sense of reality to this fantasy world and really showed that the good guys can get a happy ending but it’s not always an easy road to get there and some sacrifices will indeed have to be made.

The Grisha Trilogy has absolutely been one of my favorites and having finished all of the books — including novellas and short stories — I can honestly say that it will stay one of my favorite series of all time. I hope that these books continue to stay relevant within the book lovers and reading community and that new readers will constantly be discovering these books. This is a series I hope to be timeless. I know it always will be for me.

I could not but Ruin and Rising down. Leigh has given her fans one of the most amazing series ending books I have ever come across. There are no breaks. No perfect "Okay, I think I'll start dinner now" moments. Not only do you not want to put it down, you can't. It's impossible! There was one very distinct moment, and I cannot say when because hello HUGE spoiler, where I knew I wasn't finishing this book on Sunday unless it was the wee hours of Sunday morning. I will tell you it was around page 250, about 59% into the book.

Alina's character has made such a transformation from herself in Shadow and Bone. Even The Darkling makes note of it when he makes a sex joke and she dishes it right back when two novels ago she would have blushed and looked away. Speaking of The Darkling - we learn is name! You know Leigh definitely is definitely going to tie up all loose ends when she reveals even that smallest detail.

There are so few Grisha left for Alina after the events of Siege and Storm, but this small group (we're talking 12 people) ban together in such an amazing way to stand against The Darkling and his cruelty. Considering the number of characters Leigh has to work with, each and every one of them stand on their own two feet. Their personalities never blend into one another and they don't come across as one secondary blob. A true testament to Leigh's writing ability.

It's not just characters though. She does an amazing job with descriptions, scenery, Alina's internal thoughts. Nothing about Ruin and Rising comes across as a 417 page novel. You can't escape her beautiful writing and the real world doesn't bleed through while you're reading either.

I'm not really going to touch on the romance, there is such a huge divide in this series that I know people will be pissed, pleased, and contented. Not many people are able to pull having more than one love interest, but it's real and logical in The Grisha. There is no "clear choice" or a guy thrown in there just to make things interesting. Leigh did a wonderful job with her love quadrangle, simple as that.

To boil this rather long review down, Ruin and Rising is a beautiful ending to a beautiful series. The writing is fantastic, the continuously developing characters lovable, and the plot simply amazing. I was already a fan of Leigh's halfway through Shadow and Bone, but knowing that she can end a series just as well as she can start a series has sky rocketed her to a position on my top authors.

Ruin and Rising was one of those highly awaiting books of the year for me, and really there seems to have been a few already. But when so many amazing series end this year, how can you not be dying to read them all!?

I was a bit concerned about spoilers for this one since many bookstores seemed to be putting it up on their shelves early and my Kindle copy was the one releasing on Thursday instead of Tuesday, but luckily everyone in my Twitter feed was awesome and I didn't get the book spoiled! I have also to give a big thanks to Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction for being there for me while I was reading and DMing her like mad on Twitter!!

I will try my very best to keep this review spoiler free for the book, but you can expect some spoilers here and there for the previous books. Still, if you want to enjoy Ruin & Rising properly? Just go into the book as blind as possible! It's a brilliant book, with plenty of unexpected twists and revelations and the less you know about it all, the better! You've been warned!

Ruin & Rising starts where Siege & Storm left us, and the pacing at first seemed as unhurried as the one in Siege & Storm. I thought that Siege & Storm had a bit of a middle book syndrome since it was more of a slow book, but after finishing the series... all the build up done in Siege & Storm was necessary and I'm sure that when I do the re-read of the whole series I see in my future, I'll think differently about that book. Even with the slow pace of the first third of the book we were treated to plenty of surprises, character development and plot progression. Then everything changes as we near the middle of the book and I can only say... brace yourselves for Chapter 11! I just couldn't read fast enough! And then the final part of the book... prepare yourself for having your heart broken and fixed and broken and... well, it's a rollercoaster of emotions! I loved the ending even if my heart was left aching for a few characters.

Alina really shines in this book. She has to recover from the battle and the events at the end of Siege & Storm, and she has to find a way to wield her power and not lose herself to it. Her journey is quite a tough one, but luckily she learns that she doesn't have to undertake it alone.

Each three of the guys in this book, each three of plausible love interests can also be seen as each of the three different faces of Alina. Mal is her human side, the orphan that was unsure of herself but still didn't bow down easily and loved fiercely and loyally. Nikolai is power and responsability, the need to do what's right and lead the people of Ravka, he might be rakish and fun and a bit of rogue, but he would be bound by duty and honour. And the Darkling, well he's the siren song of her power and the lure of giving into it, letting it rule you instead of letting your human side win. If you want to know who wins... read the book, my lips are sealed! I'll just let you know I felt the Darkling at his most alluring and he's a fantastic villain, Nikolai was as sarcasting and amazing as ever, and Mal... I had disliked Mal in Siege & Storm, but he does redeem himself in this one, in spades!

All the other secondary characters are also present and important, and quite a few of them are also part of bigger or smaller revelations that shape the plot. I continue to be blown away by the way Leigh Bardugo makes us fall in love with not just the main characters but the secondary one. I simple adored Genya and David and the twins!

I'm gonna stop babbling now, I still have a massive book hangover with this one, and I feel like re-reading the entire series once my hardcovers arrive, cause I ordered them all once I finished this one! 5 shiny and well deserved stars!!

The ending of Siege and Storm was dark and terrifying, and that tone is carried through to the beginning of this book. Alina is damaged and broken and slowly gains the resolve and strength to find a way to defeating the Darkling. Her journey as a character is beautifully brought to completion in this book, and I found her arc so satisfying. Alina has always been a prickly person, and she has had to make decisions she never wanted to make, so I was so happy that she found a way to be true to herself and her noble heart. She's the reason I loved reading this book so much, and I feel that Leigh Bardugo has done complete justice to her main character.

When it comes to how other character arcs are played out, I feel that the author took the same care to bringing them to full potential. I don't want to say too much though about them in case of spoilers, but it was wonderful how so many little scenes and moments really brought out the personalities of these characters, and how easy it was to feel for each one of them.

The story has many twists and turns that made it suspenseful and surprising, especially when some very important reveals are made. It was a difficult and dangerous journey throughout, and the author was not afraid to make some really difficult choices in the story. But I was very satisfied with that (even if I was biting my nails with worry!) because the stakes are very high in this book, and it would not be fair to the reader to back away from the danger. But even with all the gloom hanging over the characters' heads the wit in the writing and the humor in the characters helped lighten the mood and bring even more realism to the story - for it is understandable for these characters to need a moment to laugh when they have gone through so much. Nikolai in particular is just a joy of a character to read about.

This is a completely satisfying conclusion to the series - because all the characters' paths are true to what has been set up in the previous two books, loose ends are tied up and all the questions are answered. The story left me feeling complete. Ruin and Rising was a fantastic reading experience!

*** may be spoilers because this is book 3 of the series ***

I have been holding off finishing this book for a while now. This might sound silly but when I am reading a series, it is hard for me to finish. I am the type of person that if the series doesn't end well, it makes me dislike the whole series. It ruins it for me. So, I have loved this series so far and knew this was the end, and I was nervous. I started reading and was like "WHAT"..... I already didn't like what was happening so I took my time picking it up again. Thankfully this book did NOT disappoint! I am soooo glad!

This series got better and better with each book. I love that. I love, love, love the world that Bardugo built. I love that she has a map at the beginning of the each book so that you can see where they are going. I was lost in this world for three wonderful books.

The characters in this book are so fantastic. From the MC to the side characters. Each one had a place in the book, and each one was brought to life for me. I cannot tell you how much I love that. When I can connect to the MC it's awesome, but when the author connects me to ALL their characters the reading experience is heightened and it brings it more to life for me.

The struggle that Alina went though to take down the Darkling was fantastic. I loved that the two characters could connect step into each others minds. This book really brought to light just how "DARK" the Darkling was. He was just a sad, power hungry man. He was a fantastically, tortured character that Bardugo brought to life. There has to be someone in a book you love to hate!

This is the part that had me thinking I might not like the ending....Nikolai. I loved his character. He was so funny, and wanted to do the right thing.....and he loved Alina. No...No...No... She had to be with one man! Mal. Although I loved Nikolai in this book, and loved how he wanted to protect Alina, he was not the man for her...in my opinion :). I did love their mutual respect for each other, and the banter they had between them, and I loved him as a character. I just didn't love him as Alina's love interest. Which brings me to Mal.

Mal. Yum. Okay, so I picture a dirty man who likes to get down and dirty to find what he is looking for...but Yum. I loved him from the minute he was introduced in the book. He is such a great character. He is kind, loyal, funny, and just plain yummy. He was so tortured throughout this book with his love for Alina. Ugh, why do authors have to make the journey between two people so dang miserable sometimes...hehe. Kidding. It was wonderful. I hated that they were not together and always felt like "they couldn't" be together, but I held out hope that the would come to their senses, suck it up and realize they have to be together. Thank you Bardugo. I don't think I could have handled it if they did not end up together.

I was terribly worried at the end, but it all worked out for the best. I could go on and on, because I am sad that this is done. I loved this series. It was so much fun to read. The battles were awesome. Their powers were fantastic. The writing was A MAY ZING!

Source: I bought this book for myself. I was not compensated in any way for this review. These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

I have been breathlessly waiting for EVER for this book to come out, and I am beyond disappointment, and in to full on anger. That ending seriously sucked. If I wanted endings like this I wouldn't read fantasy!

Ruin and Rising was AWESOME!!!!! I could not put it down once I started reading, I just needed to know how the trilogy would end and what would happen to everyone. So now because this is the last book, I’m not going to go on and on about the story itself, because I’ll spoil to much for future readers.

As always the world-building, characters and overal plot was awesome, and I admire Barugo for creating the Grisha world and everything in it. Everything weaves together so perfectly and it just keeps drawing you in makes you desperate to keep reading until the very end. I also loved the character development in Ruin and Rising. And the ending (not the epilogue), oh my Goddess the ending was just heartbreaking! I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Darkling, he’s just one of those villains you just can’t hate or depise. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him and how everything ended for him.

As for the epilogue with Alina and Mal, well it was sweet that’s for sure, but I am still not loving their relationship. I don’t know what it is, but Alina and Mal just don’t fit together in my eyes. And I can’t seem to get over the fact that Alina would’ve fit better with Nikolai (Sturmhond), or hell even the Darkling if he hadn’t died. Oh well, can’t have everything I guess.

The characters on the other hand were all awesome. I loved Alina, because she kept growing through the course of the books and even more in Ruin and Rising. As for Mal, towards the end I started to like him, he’s not as bad as I thought he was, even though he’s still frustrating at times. Nikolai was still his sassy, awesome self. And then of course the other wonderful characters like Taram, Tolya, Baghra, Genya, David and even Zoya! All of the had their parts in the books and each of them was wonderful. And of course the Darkling himself, I still adore him and I was so sad to see him die. He’s the villain I can’t hate.

Conclusion: this trilogy was an amazing read and definitely re-read worthy. And now I can’t wait to read the upcoming book that also play in the world of the Grish, The Dregs. So exciting!!!!

Absolutely loved this series... Especially this book (3) the end!

Leigh Bardugo has the power to create amazing things.
I was left in tears...
This is a heard pounding series from beginning to end.
The Grisha trilogy is an amazing world, full of adventure, secrets, power, darkness and love.
Leigh never cease to amaze me with her amazing world building skills and fantastic character development.
I love the Russian influence in this book. :)

The age of the darkling and its subjects are coming to an end...
Can the light outshine the darkness? Will love survives at the end?
Read to find out...

Some Spoilers here...

I have to say, I was a little surprise at the end... I wanted Alina to end up with her soul mate Mal. But I really thought she was going to chose Nikolai. Still the end was amazing, a epic conclusion to the series. The way it should have been. However, I can't help but feel a little sad for Nikolai thou... sure enough he would find a princess somewhere. (I imagine he did.)
Everything else was just epic!

You will not be disappointed with this series. In fact you should get all three books at onse, because you will not want to stop until the very end!

SO EXCITED FOR SIX OF CROWS!
:)

I didn’t know if it was possible. “Shadow and Bone” was good. “Siege and Storm” was great. Would “Ruin and Rising” ever live up to predecessors like that? Well, it did and then some. I can wholeheartedly say that this third book in the Grisha Trilogy is the best of the bunch. There are parts that are tough to read, and there are sections that don’t make sense at the start. But hang in there – everything’s going to be okay. Leigh Bardugo didn’t let me down, and she won’t let you down, either.

Alina’s in freak-out mode. She’s been forced to retreat to the Apparat’s underground hideout, weak, worried, and surrounded by people who think she’s a living Saint. The only people who care about who she really is – Mal, David, Genya, maybe even Zoya – are separated from her at all but a few select times of the day. However, after a crazy scheme that shouldn’t have worked at all, Alina’s in charge once again and getting ready to search for Morozova’s third amplifier, the weapon that could finally destroy the Darkling. Although Alina and her friends plan as best they can, everything can go wrong – and everything does.

When I say everything goes wrong, I mean that in terms of misfortune for the characters. It kind of sucks for them, but in terms of the reader, it could be said that everything goes RIGHT in “Ruin and Rising.” All our favorite characters return, stronger and more vulnerable than ever. The plot is satisfyingly expected in some ways and heart-stopping unexpected in others. If you’re mainly concerned with the battle with the Darkling, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here. If you’re into the history behind Morozova and his amplifiers, awesome: there’s some of that too. And if you’re just dying to hear about that love triangle, not to worry: both Mal and Nikolai get their moments here (along with the dark-horse candidate for Alina’s heart, the Darkling).

And the ending? It works. Really, really well. It makes total sense and leaves everyone left alive (yeah, people die, but you knew that was going to happen) in places where they’ll do some good. It may not be super realistic, but since when is this series realistic? Or this genre? Or this universe?

And what fun would it be if it were? None at all, I say. So if you need a break from a world without magic or creepy monsters, check this book out. But read the other ones first. This series is far too good to jump in halfway through.

So amazing and great!!! I am so glad I read this series. Even thought the Darkling was evil as hell, he was still one of my favorite characters. After hearing about his upbringing, I can understand why he was the way he was. I'm not going to lie, sometimes Alina got on my nerve. When she kept seeing the Darkling, I'm like why don't you say something. Nikolai is also my favorite. He was hilarious. I hated what happened to him. I liked Zoya as well.

I gave this a four out of five because there were some slow moments in the book and I felt some things were put in for fillers, but overall it's a great read and I HIGHLY recommend this series to everyone!!!

I’ve been looking forward to RUIN AND RISING, the last book in The Grisha Trilogy, basically since the moment I finished reading SIEGE AND STORM, so you can imagine my excitement when I finally got my hands on a copy. (If not, think: astronomical excitement).

My excitement, as it turns out, was totally merited because RUIN AND RISING is an excellent read.

I always hope, when reading the end of a series, that it’ll be exciting, have an ending that ties up all the loose ends and fits with the tone and messages of the series, that the climax will be appropriately epic and the characters will evolve, but not act unrealistically for their character.

RUIN AND RISING did all of that and more.

I absolutely adore the time and detail Bardugo took to not only create an incredible world that feels entirely real, but delved into the history and mythology of the world she created and wove it intricately into the plot. I adore the characters to pieces (this is actually one of the few series where I love the antagonist and secondary love interest, The Darkling and Nikolai, more than I do the primary love interest, just because they were so epically awesome) and I honestly feel that the ending was perfect for the series. Closing the book, I felt happy and totally satisfied with the conclusion of one of my favorite YA Fantasy series ever.

The Grisha Trilogy is one that I’ll continue to recommend to anyone who will listen. RUIN AND RISING is an excellent conclusion to an incredible series, and I, for one, will be insta-buying anything and everything Leigh Bardugo writes in the future.

Leigh Bardugo created a series unlike anything I have read with the Grisha series (Shadow & Bone, Siege & Storm, Ruin & Rising). I fell in love with these books the very first time I read them. They were exciting, different and powerful. There is love, mystery, magic and a fully-developed world where some people are born with extraordinary power. Some wield it for good, some for evil. And, among them all walks Alina, the Sun Summoner - powerful, unique and the one on whom an entire world rests.

Ruin and Rising is the conclusion of this series. If you haven't read the first two books, go read those, then read this one, then read the review. Alina has faced the Darkling - and lost. She knows now what she must do, but the cost may be too much to bear. Bardugo creates a powerful tension in Alina as she realizes the true strength of her power, and what finally finding the last piece of the puzzle could do to her. She sees a little of the Darkling in herself as she obsesses over making her power stronger. But, she also sees herself in Nikolai (the man who would be king), Mal (the man she would love) and the rest of her fellow Grisha. She knows that they're depending on her, and she knows that to do what she must will change everything.

I have loves this series from the beginning. It defies genres and expectations as readers learn about the magic that controls Alina's world, the seductive power of the Darkling, and the belief that there is something bigger at stake than just who is ruling at the end of the day. Ruin and Rising does not disappoint, with more action than the previous books, and a crisp, quick storyline that doesn't fall victim to too much exposition or explanation. Bardugo assumes that you know her characters by now; she doesn't rehash the details. So, if it's been awhile since you read the first two books, you may want to familiarize yourself before you read too far into this one. As the story reaches it's conclusion, I was both shocked and satisfied with the turns that Bardugo took to bring Alina's story to an end.

What an epic conclusion to an epic trilogy!! Ruin and Rising was the perfect ending to this series. There were lots of surprises, both heartbreaking and wonderful, throughout the entire story and I enjoyed every minute of the nerve wrecking ride. This book was was action packed and fast paced. I couldn't put it down. I was sad that Nikolai was missing from most of this book because I really enjoyed his character with all of his witty banter. We get him back from where he was missing from the previous book only to lose him again. I need a book just about him. I'm glad Alina got her happy ending even if it wasn't the one I wanted for her. I was very pleased with the endings for all of the secondary characters as well. I was happy to see them all get what they deserved. Overall, I really enjoyed this series and I look forward to reading other books by Leigh Bardugo.

This is the third and final book in the Grisha Trilogy and takes place immediately following Siege and Storm. Alina is being kept safe by the Apparat in an underground cathedral unable to use her power to summon the sun. While the Apparat makes the appearance of helping Alina, it is clear that he wants to control her. His plan is to isolate her from all potential allies and make her completely dependant upon himself. Thankfully, her friends have other plans.

When Alina, Mal, and her Grisha finally make their way to the surface of war-torn Ravka, Alina seeks out Prince Nikolai. He still has his amazing flying contraptions and big plans for how to overthrow the Darkling and take back Ravka. Unfortunately, the Darkling has other plans for Nikolai, Alina, and Mal.

The search for the firebird continues but things do not turn out the way Alina (or I) expected them to. The ending of the series did shock and surprise me at the same time it feels like it completely fits. Alina has been changing throughout the series and this book is no different.

This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi(http://catholicamanda.com/review-ruin-and-rising/).

Why I chose this book:
This series took me completely by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with these characters, but Shadow & Bone drew me in, Siege & Storm captured my heart, and Ruin & Rising completely and utterly transfixed me. This is most definitely one of the top reads of the year for me.

My Bookish Likes:
I really liked the modge-podge group in Ruin & Rising because I felt like you got to know them each one on a deeper level. Zoya really came into her snarky personality; you saw a softer side of Tamar, especially where Nadia was concerned; you began seeing more bits of Tolya’s steely faith; with Nikolai you saw the soft flesh underneath his thick skin and the pain it created; and you couldn’t help but watch in agony as Mal’s painful loyalty to doing the right thing puts the ending of this book in jeopardy.

The character development was purely out of this word. I fell even more in love with all these characters than I had before. Everything from the writing to the narration, to the plot, to the way everything ended, it was all perfect.

My Bookish Loves:
Can we talk about how many twists this book has? I didn’t see three of the huge twists coming. I was always on the edge of my seat. There was never a dull moment where I knew what would happen. And the suspense build up was fantastic.

The ending was probably what I loved most. It was perfect. I have read very few series that I have fallen so deeply in love with let alone loved the third book in the trilogy, but this is now the best ending to a trilogy I’ve ever read. I don’t want to say more than that, because I’m afraid my mouth might runaway with me and tell you all the wonderful, crazy, fear-inducing things that occur in this book.

After finishing the entire series, I can say with confidence that I will buy her next book no matter what it is. This series so quickly stole my heart, and I didn’t know it until I was halfway through Siege & Storm.

Final Thoughts:
Beautiful world building and a masterful creation. That’s really all I have to say. I listened to these books on audio, but I am going to try to buy all of these book in hardback. I loved them so much and I need them on my bookshelves.

You can check out my other reviews at ofspectaclesandbooks.com

After finishing Siege and Storm, one of my favorite fantasy reads of 2013, I was more than ready to see how Bardugo was going to end the series...and despite other reviewers' not-so-favorable thoughts, I loved Ruin and Rising.

Frankly, I don't understand why so many people who loved Siege and Storm found Ruin and Rising to be a disappointment.

Sure, there was the occasional over-chattiness...and some strange/confusing relationship stuff...but compared to the brilliance of the plot; the mysteries behind Morozova and the Darkling; and Alina's character arc (BRILLIANT!), those things seem beyond paltry to me. *baffled shrug*

Anyway...

In Ruin and Rising, we get to see the aftermath of devastation through Alina. She's changed tremendously since Shadow and Bone—flipping from pale to dark beauty in a relatively short, albeit believable, period of time. I loved the rawness and realism behind this transformation, and I rooted for her as she struggled to find herself amidst this change.

The horror she witnessed/witnesses (and, in part, caused), the blame and scorn she carries, the internal conflict she faces in the realization that she is 'that orphan girl' no longer (yet, what does it mean to be a Saint? A Summoner?)—all of these things have shaped, and continue to shape, Alina throughout the final installment of the Grisha trilogy.

Tension is executed superbly through the eyes of the young woman seeking to save the world from further devastation at the hands of the Darkling, and the plot twist(s) will keep you guessing throughout. I had my theories about what was going to happen with which characters, who Alina really is/was, what the connection between Mal/Alina/the Darkling/Firebird was...but I missed a lot of stuff >.>!

Ruin and Rising is an incredible ride. And honestly, I couldn't have come up with a more suitable title. This one's a tearjerker T_T. It's full of ruin and grief...yet brimming with triumph and hope in the midst of despair. The ending was perfect: satisfying, glorious, and tragically beautiful. Everything has its time.

You don't want to miss out on this stunning conclusion to the Grisha trilogy!

I can't wait for more from Bardugo (if she intends to write more)!

This is a review for the whole trilogy

I LOVE this trilogy. It is easily in my top 5.

The world Bardugo builds is so amazing. She put a lot of detail and work into creating Ravka and all of the inhabitants. It's incredible.

Alina is a pretty badass chick. She's conflicted with herself at times, but that's something I really enjoyed. It had you questioning what she was going to do, if she was going to become a villain or not. She even seemed conflicted about who she loved, which kept you on your toes to find out who she was going to end up with. I really enjoyed those mysterious aspects to the story. Her character was so complex to me & it was so interesting to read what she was feeling at that moment and how quickly it could change.

The story itself was well put together. It was very entertaining, there was something happening in almost every chapter. It's loaded with action, politics, betrayal, religion, magic(powers), science, monsters and romance. I don't think you can ask for anything else from a trilogy! I mean really, what didn't this book have? But it is put together in such a wonderful way that it all makes sense!

This is an amazing trilogy & I would recommend it to everyone!

Ruin and Rising is the third book of the series. At the end of the second book Alina had attempted to kill the Darkling, which resulted in almost losing her life as well. Alina was dragged underground into the "protection" of the Apparat.

This is where "Ruin and Rising" begins. Alina is weak from battle and is not allowed contact with others especially those who came with her (mainly Mal). Alina is not allowed to leave, so Mal, Tamar, Tolya, and David devise a plan to help them all escape the Apparat.

Once outside, Alina finally has access to her sun summoning, but being above ground has it's own risks. Alina needs to find the third Morozova amplifier, Nikolai, and a way to defeat the Darkling. Almost immediately Alina and the group run into trouble and it only snowballs from there. There is no loss for action, twists, and surprises.

I blazed through this book, rarely putting it down. The moments I enjoyed the most were when Alina would use her connection and go to the Darkling. I craved more time with the Darkling and Alina. I know that she is supposed to be with Mal, not Nikolai or the Darkling, however it felt right when they came together. "I felt that rush of hunger, the steady, longing beat of desire that neither of us wanted, but that gripped us anyway. We were alone in the world, unique. We were bound together and always would be."

The "AFTER" part of the book finished the series out nicely, everything you look for when you wrap up a series.

The third and final installment in Leigh Bardugo's The Grisha trilogy was far more rewarding than I had ever anticipated. Though I liked the first book Shadow and Bone and *really* liked the sequel Siege and Storm, it was "Ruin and Rising" that I truly loved.

It's difficult to summarize the finale of any book series without giving away details of its predecessors, but here goes - Alina Starkov is a Sun Summoner; a very rare Grisha that can conjure light out of nothing, a skill that's highly prized considering the country of Ravka is divided by a terrible darkness known as the Shadow Fold. But her abilities also make her a valuable commodity - everyone from the royal family to the renegade Grisha to the humble commoners look to her as a savior of one kind or another.

Being revered as a saint or propositioned as a potential queen are things that Alina finds rather appalling; she just wants to secure the safety of her loved ones (namely, her beloved Malyen Oretsev) and destroy the Shadow Fold that threatens the lives of so many. As the Darkling gathers his forces and consolidates his hold over Ravka, Alina knows that she has to claim the third and final amplifier - the life of the magnificent Firebird - to increase her powers and make her an equal match for the Darkling.

With a small band of loyal friends and followers, Alina sets out for her best bet on where the Firebird is to be found, knowing that the longer she takes, the greater the threat from the Darkling grows. Her journey requires her to delve deep into her own past and the history of the Grisha, leading to several surprising twists.

From the underground caves of the White Cathedral to the heights of the Cera Huo Mountains, Bardugo has created a world based on tsarist Russia that's filled with its own unique geography, culture and history. Her world-building is exemplary, and it's her clarity of prose and eye for detail that bring it so vividly to life. Take this for example, a cavern that Alina passes through during an underground journey: "Then there was the eerie, partially submerged iron portcullis we called the Angelgate. It was flanked by two winged stone figures, their heads bent, their hands resting on marble broadswords. The winch worked and we passed through it without incident, but why had it been put there? And why?"

We never find out or even revisit the location again, but it's a haunting passage among many that lends depth and weight to the world Alina inhabits.

I'm not fond of first-person narration, but Alina has a clear and sympathetic voice that carries the reader through the book's events without sacrificing its sense of suspense, or depicting the other characters with an overly biased point-of-view. Indeed, the supporting cast is given enough characterization to make you invested in their survival, from the charismatic and razor-sharp Nikolai, to the unnerving Harshaw (who believes he can communicate with his cat), to the unpleasant Zoya who demonstrates loyalty despite her attitude problems. Each one is given a chance to shine, even if it's just in sharing an anecdote from their past, and each one feels like a fully-realized person regardless of how much "screen time" they're given.

Of course, Bardugo lets the characters find their way through the challenges and restrictions she's set up for them, but the emotional and physical toll that's inflicted means their ending feels deserved. More than anything else, this is a war story, and Bardugo knows that victory comes with a hefty price.

All this makes it a rewarding read, one that ticks the three necessary boxes of any fantasy novel: strong characters, intriguing plot and fascinating world-building, all working in accord to produce a fantastic trilogy.

Alina Starkov started out as a simple mapmaker for the Ravka army. She then became the famed Sun Summoner; a miracle. Now she is seen as a saint, a symbol to the people that the Darkling’s rule of terror is coming to an end. For the religious zealots, she is all-powerful, a true match for the Darkling…but Alina herself is not so sure. Forced to flee to an underground system of tunnels and caverns, Alina slowly tries to recover from her latest encounter with the Darkling --- one that affected her more than anyone could guess. She is ready to start her search for the firebird, the only thing she is convinced can help her match the Darkling’s immense and ancient power. But with the controlling Apparat monitoring her every move, that is easier said than done.

Alina must join together with what remains of her true companions in order to find what she so desperately needs, and what the Darkling never wants her to have. But in order to have the power to defeat the Darkling, Alina has to sacrifice more than she is willing to give. With the weight of Ravka’s future resting on her shoulders, Alina must find the power within herself to defeat the Darkling --- or give up all she’s ever wanted.

Readers will not be able to stop turning the pages, but will be heartbroken to see Alina’s journey come to an end.

RUIN AND RISING wraps up The Grisha Trilogy trilogy perfectly. In this final installment of Alina’s battle with the Darkling, the stakes are higher than ever. Therefore, the tone of RUIN AND RISING is much more serious than it has been before. Still, Leigh Bardugo manages to weave in bits of humor that endear us even further to her characters. Additionally, she introduces us to a wider cast of characters, many of whom have been in previous novels.

Alina becomes more comfortable with her power in this novel, and is pushed to her limits. It is a welcome change to see Alina embrace her power rather than try and repress it or be ashamed of it. Alina also achieves a new level of self-confidence.

In RUIN AND RISING, Alina is faced with the most difficult decision of her life. Not only does her happiness rely on this decision, but all of Ravka does as well. Knowing this, Alina tries desperately to come up with a solution that doesn’t lead to the destruction of all that she’s known, or the destruction of her heart.

Leigh Bardugo creates a novel to be proud of in RUIN AND RISING. Readers will not be able to stop turning the pages, but will be heartbroken to see Alina’s journey come to an end. Filled with action, adventure and romance, RUIN AND RISING is a novel for all preferences.

Reviewed by Kate F., Teen Board Member.

Originally posted on: http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-... and http://athousandwordsamillionbooks.bl...

“There is no end to our story.”

Ruined, at the brink of death, defeated, abandoned but hope? It’s the one thing they have. Hope, even though it might be as fickle as water, it will always finds a way to seep in.

In the tunnels below the world where chaos is embodied, Alina- Sankta Alina, The Sun Summoner- lives a fragile existence. With no power, freedom or space to breathe, life is bleak. The Apparat rules over and charms her followers- the ones who believe that she is a saint- the one who see her as the only salvation that they will ever find.

Mal, the otkazat’sya, pushes himself, to try and give the only girl he has ever loved something she needs. I Become the Blade- inked on him, the only thing he can think about. The mythical firebird- his mission.

For The Darkling- Aleksander- everything he has ever worked for, over the centuries, is finally coming into play. The Sun Summoner, the Fold, the Nichevo’ya. It’s happening. His goal- power.
Alina. Control. Darkness. Victory has never been so close.

In this absolutely STUNNING (I don’t know what else to call it) conclusion to the New York Times Bestselling Trilogy, everything you know about this world and the things in it will change.

Love, loyalty, friendship, survival, power, victory, and freedom- everything is at stake. And one broken saint, a disgraced tracker, and a whole gang of misfits and a prince without a throne are all that stands between light and dark.

If you choose not to read this, you are missing out on one of the BEST series ever.

The ending was absolutely stunning, the finale heart-breaking, the story so realistic. I’m actually going to need time to process what I’ve just read- READ IT!!

I completely fell in love with this series from the moment I picked up the first book two years ago and I've been captivated ever since so I was both excited and nervous about reading the final book Ruin and Rising. I was so invested in the lives of these characters but I had a very definite opinion about how I wanted things to turn out and who I wanted Alina to end up with. It's really, really hard to review the final book in a trilogy without giving spoilers though. There are so many things that I want to talk about but I can't because I want everyone to have the chance to going into this story blind, I want you to be able to discover the plot twists on your own and I don't want to ruin the surprises that Leigh Bardugo has in store for you.

Therefore I'm going to keep this review deliberately short and vague and instead focus on how reading this book made me feel. I think I must have gone through every single emotion possible at one point or another but one thing I couldn't do was put the book down. This is definitely a story you need to clear your diary for because once you start you'll be completely hooked. I laughed, I cried, I was shocked, horrified and outraged one moment only to find myself grinning and cheering the next. There were moments that broke my heart and others that made me sigh happily. I'm not going to say it was all a bed of roses, there were moments when I was unsure about where the author was taking us and when I was almost too scared to look at what was happening on the page but even though she took me places where I didn't want to go Leigh Bardugo ultimately left me feeling satisfied and with a huge grin on my face.

I know that not everyone will be happy with the way this series ends, the trouble with having more than one love interest (although to me there was really only ever one contender!) is that not everyone will be happy with the way things turn out. However, I personally thought the ending was perfect, it was everything I'd hoped for and more. The whole Grisha trilogy has a special place in my heart, I'm sad it's over and would love to revisit these characters in the future but I'm also excited that the author is planning further books set in the same world but introducing new characters for us to fall in love with. I was at an event with the author a couple of days ago and she read an unedited passage from the first spin off book, The Dregs, and trust me it was amazing. I have a feeling I'm going to love the new characters even more than I loved these ones and I've already pre-ordered my copy! If you're a fantasy fan then I really don't think you can go wrong with these books.

Oh Ruin & Rising, you have successfully give me a trilogy that I can say I love EVERY single book so much! This series was the perfect mixture of romance, action, evil and wit. I read all of these books so quickly that I need to go back and read them again. I ate them up, so delicious! My likes and dislikes below are not going to give anything away, so please continue reading even if you haven’t read this series (YOU SHOULD).

Likes:
The story picks right up from the end of the action in the second book, Siege and Storm. Alina is working on getting herself figured out and she really starts to realize that she is more than an orphan girl, she is the Sun Summoner and now has responsibility outside herself.
I love the little gang of mismatched soldiers and Grisha’s that accompany Alina and Mal on their journey. All of them together have great attributes, just not really any skills for what they are doing, and completely different personalities. It made the book a bigger adventure because not everything was going perfectly.
I loved the surprises in the book. I have to admit that I did not see them coming, maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough, but I enjoyed the surprise and how it worked into the story. The ending kinda reminded me a bit of the triumph at the end of Harry Potter.
I seriously have a HUGE crush on Nikolai. Man oh man, he is like the good hearted bad boy that you just fall head over heels for. I think he has to be number one on my list of book boyfriends, and if he was real, my husband would HAVE to be jealous! I have no idea how Alina can resist him, must be true love with Mal for sure, or else she would have been a goner for that wit, charm and sheer amazingness.
The firebird part of the story was amazing. We knew the adventures of looking for the other amplifiers, but this one had to be the most intriguing and action packed.
I love, love, loved learning more about Morozova’s past. I would be head over heels with Leigh if she would write a prequel about Morozova’s life and his quest for the amplifiers and his family’s history. SO GOOD!

Gripes:
If you think I have a gripe than you are CRAZY!

I have more reviews like this in my blog http://ccarpelibrum.blogspot.com/ check it out.
My thoughts before reading it:
When I first received the book I couldn't help but to think this is the last book. I turned to this book a little weary because I have not had the best experiences in the last book of a series. I am usually mad at the characters or the ending wasn't great I am sure you can relate. I remember when I first turned to this book it wasn't my intention to purchase it I only wanted to meet the fierce reads authors Anna Banks in particular when Of Poseidon had just come out. When I arrived I decided to glance at the other books and since you know I love books I bought them all.... Well four books but still that's a lot. And that is how I was introduced to the magical world of Shadow and Bone and a swoon worthy character known to us as the Darkling.
Eventually curiosity got the best of me and I dived into this book.

My thoughts after:
As I was reading it I was extremely surprised at how captivating it was Leigh managed to hold the readers interest. Not only that but apparently she has been holding out on us since this book was action packed with plenty of juicy secrets. There were plenty of surprises as well. I highly suggest those who haven't read it to pick up this series it will not disappoint! Book three focuses on resolving the problem with the Darkling. Alina and Mal are in a strange place trying to repair their friendship. Nikolai comes out in this book too of course. He is by far my favorite.
Alina sets out with her small group of bandits to take down the Darkling. This small group sets out to destroy the Darkling and his army. How is this even possible? Clearly the odds are against them.
This book is intense lots of fighting we lose a few amazing fictional characters (their death hurts just as much as if they were real!). I highly suggest readers to pick up this series.

This is the third and final book in the Grisha Trilogy. Honestly I think it was my least favorite book in the series, but I am having some trouble pinpointing exactly why. Things are nicely tied up and Alina has really grown a lot as a character.

Alina was severely weakened after her encounter with the Darkling at the end of the second book. Now she is hiding underground in the dubious protection of the Apparat and his zealots who worship her as a Saint. However, Alina feels like she is more prisoner than Saint and is tiring of the Apparat’s lack of action. Her and her friends hatch a plan to escape the Apparat’s underground sanctuary and continue on their quest for the Firebird.

I didn’t like Alina as much in this book as in the previous books. She starts out pretty weak, but then you find she has gained in power. I do like that she had to train to learn now to use her new abilities well. What I didn’t like was how narrow-minded and power hungry she is. She is worried about turning into the Darkling, and with good reason. Her hunt for the Firebird consumes her and she somehow believes that finding the Firebird will cure everything, it is a bit naive of her to believe that.

The supportive characters are well done. There is a bit of a love triangle going on here. Alina and Mel still love each other but both believe that Alina will need to ally herself with Prince Nikolai. Prince Nikolai is determined to earn Alina’s respect if not her heart. Then there is the Darkling, who still lures Alina with his power and with how similar it is to her own. I guess it is more of a love square?

Unfortunately I found both Alina and Mel to be a bit forgettable. Nikolai is much more engaging. The Darkling is also an incredible character, and although we see more of him than we did in the second book, he still wasn’t in the story a ton.

The book was paced well and decently written. However, I wasn’t ever really completely engaged and pulled into the story. I am not sure why. I really did enjoy the first two books in this series, but this one was a bit predictable and I just didn’t find it as engaging. As I said I am having a hard time pinpointing what it was that made this book less likable to me than the previous two.

Overall a well done conclusion to this series. Things are tied up nicely and the story is well paced. I think fans of the series will be pleased. I didn’t like this book as much as the previous two books; for some reason I had trouble engaging with both Alina and Mel and the story in general. However this is a well done YA fantasy series and I would still recommend it.

*sigh*

I didn't love this book quite as much as I did the first two; not because there was anything wrong with the writing or actually wrong with the story, other than it just didn't go the way I wanted it to.

Reasons I didn't like the book:
I really, really didn't want Alina to end up with Mal. Mal was whiny and self centered, insomuch as he saw Alina as an extension of himself and didn't REALLY want to share her with the country she was trying to save. He didn't understand her at all, and their personalities didn't compliment each other's nearly as much as her's and Nikolai's did, or even her's and the Darkling's did. So WHY did the author end the story with Mal and Alina being these ordinary, boring, forgotten people raising orphans together? Why do authors put their characters on these huge pedestals throughout a story, and then let them fade into memory at the end? It's ok for them to be great heroes and then go on to more great things (like being Queen!).

That being said - I do try to give a rating based on the actual writing, and how well the story is put together, regardless of my personal feelings towards what I wanted to happen vs what the author wanted to happen. End the end, it's her book and her story to tell, and even though I'm disappointed, it was still an amazingly well written book/series, and I would definitely look forward to reading more of her work.

Stars, do I love A LOT about these books!

I’ve seen some reactions from people who really did not like Ruin and Rising. I am not counted among that number. I loved it.

I love Leigh Bardugo’s storytelling style, I love the characters, I love the history of the world, I love it all!

I mean, yes, things happened that I didn’t want to happen… but they fit with the story and the events going on in the world. Honestly, I think they made the book stronger. Remember, Ravka is a war-torn country! Not everyone is going to get a happily ever after. Bad things will happen. But there is hope and there are bright points in the story!

This was one of those rare books where I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to happen. I mean, I knew some general things. But the events that got us there? I just didn't have a clue. There were so many things that surprised me and I really appreciated that.

I was just so invested. I laughed at the witty banter and got choked up (and ok, cried!) at numerous parts. Signs of a good book! I highly recommend this entire series! Love, love, love!

I cannot express how much I love the first two books of this series. I freaking adore them… which is rare because this is a high fantasy series and I am not a fan of fantasy. And as a fan of the characters, I was freaking out because the end of the second book didn’t end on a good note. Well, for all those Mal’s fans. So when I say that I didn’t enjoy the third book as I did with the first two, well it’s shocking. WHAAT?! YES! I still can’t believe it. Don’t get me wrong, I did love how the book ends, which I will not spoil since I know some of you haven’t read it. Anyways, the third book felt so different for me.

Leigh Bardugo is a master of actions. This is why I adore her books. The woman can write a book like movie script! This is what I was expecting in Ruin and Rising... but for some reason, I felt this book slow. It had some actions, but compare to the other books, it was slow. Either way, the story take such a turn and it had me turning pages. I wanted to know what Alina would do next and if she was ever going to complete her search or fail. In which she did succeed… with some unexpected arising issues. The Darkling didn't let go her go easy... And if you have read the books, you know he's a fighter.

As a fan of Leigh, I was thankful that she made the end right. I feared how she would take the end of this series. Thankfully, she eased my pain and I was glad I kept reading. For those of you that haven’t read the series, I recommend that you do. Leigh is gifted, when it comes to writing actions, she's a master.

This is the perfect ending for the perfect story!!!

I am in love with this series! Each book was spectacular and amazing! Like I said, this book was the perfect ending! It closes the story so beautifully!

This trilogy is my new favorite series! The characters, each and every one, are all amazing! Even the villain was spectacular! All of these characters are going to be in my mind and in my heart for a long time:

Alina, Mal, Darkling, Nikolai, Aleksander, Bagra, Genya, David, Tamar, Tolya, Zoya

The story was soooo good!!! The writing was soooo good!!! Each book was filled with so many amazing quotes! Leigh Bardugo is my new favorite author because WOW! She's amazing!

The Darkling has taken control of Ravka, but the Sun Summoner has not forfeited. With the entire nation regarding her as a Saint, Alina must be extra careful about her next moves and discretely reunite with Nikolai to find the last of the amplifiers to finally face the Darkling where it all began—in the blackness of the Fold.

The final book in the Grisha trilogy is tightly structured; Bardugo’s characters are driven to make very tough decisions with devastating consequences, propelled along by the nonstop threat of the Darkling, his army, and his terrible power. These consequences bring the characters closer than ever, but Bardugo eases the tension of the plot with stolen moments of humor and easy banter. These moments of levity balance out the emotional crises and also make the difficult consequences easier to read as they build up to an explosive climax. Although the resolution of the trilogy may be unexpected in some aspects, the ending has emotional resonance that will satisfy ever reader.

The thing I like about this series is that the story didn't morph into something unrelated to the initial concept. It's one big story, broken into three books. It's been such a long time since I read Siege and Storm that I had a difficult time remembering who some of the minor characters were. It didn't bother me too much since I got sucked into the story anyway. Leigh Bardugo knows how to capture her readers.

I loved the progress that Alina made, up to a point. Some of her decisions were selfish, but for the most part, she cared about her country and tried to do the right thing.

I've never been able to like Mal, and I still didn't in this book. I felt like he didn't deserve Alina. But then again, in some ways Alina didn't deserve him. I found Nicolai's fate very interesting. I adored him in the last book and I still loved him in this one. I was disappointed that the author decided to have the characters pair up the way they did. I really wanted this book to be clean, and it almost was. There is some sex in the book, and it's mostly non-descriptive. Even so, I would only recommend this book for older YA readers.

Overall, it was a riveting and mostly satisfying ending to a great series.

Content: Violence, non-descriptive sex, kidding, mild language.

I am thoroughly satisfied with all the things of this book.
I was a bit scared. The second book was kind of dull in the middle, so I was afraid the last book would have a dull beginning and set up, but NOPE! Nope nope nope. Everything glided through and there was never a dull moment.

I love all the characters, I got particularly close to Harshaw. I really liked his character and where he came from. Also Zoya and everyone. I love all the wittiness and friendship between them. Everyone. It gave me the serious case of the warm and fuzzies. <3

I know I may be the odd man out in this, but I think everything ended the way it needed to. The way it should have. If it ended any other way, it would have been forced. So I commend Leigh for that. *claps hands*

And the very end. It didn't cut off abruptly or leave you hanging and hungry for more. It let you slowly release the characters in a nice way. I'm a bit curious in how the other characters ended up

An epic conclusion to a phenomenal trilogy. This trilogy gets a lot of hype, and all of it is well earned. This is one of new favorite series ever now. Ruin and Rising made me both cry and laugh out loud over and over again. There's so much heart wrenching tragedy, but there's also plenty of witty sarcastic dialogue that had me giggling like a mad woman. They characters were all so beautifully flawed and complex. The good guys had dark sides, the bad guys had sparks of humanity. I just loved them all so much. But especially Nikolai, Bardugo could write a 800 page novel of just Nikolai and I would finish it in a day. I also really loved the Russian influences here. As a kid Anastasia was my favorite movie, and I've been intrigued by the Russian culture ever since.

I burned through all three of these books in about five days, which is fast for me. The world building was so good, and unlike some recent books I've read in the same vein (I'm thinking Of Fire and Stars here... ahem), there was never really a dull moment. Everything was set up incredibly well and the world was fascinating and vivid. I like the use of the Russian mythology and terms. I thought it was an interesting change from the books of this sort that tend to use English or Western European frameworks to hang their fantasy worlds on. I thought the ending was perfect and that given the story that was being told and the way it was set up, it was exactly as it should have been.

Plus I love the dialogue and the way everyone interacts with one another. It's all very clever and the conversations between Nikolai and Alina especially are just fun to read. All the characters are well drawn, even the minor ones, and you really do care what happens to them. (the twist in the middle is also interesting and adds a nice layer of angst and sacrifice to the whole thing).

Which brings me to the part of the review (which I will warn you is more of kind of rant) that has SPOILERS

SPOILERS

I have no idea why so many people here are complaining that there was anything wrong with the ending. That Alina somehow didn't get what she wanted or that it was some lesson in how she was giving up everything she had and making herself weak for Mal or that Mal wasn't worthy of her or she should have ended up with the Darkling. Look, if you want a book that tells you girls should give up their whole lives for their man, go read Twilight, which teaches every wrong lesson you could possibly teach to a young girl.

The author makes it clear practically from the minute that Alina realizes just how powerful she is that she doesn't belong anywhere. That as much as she loves the power and craves the power it scares the hell out of her, and she is also terrified of what it will make her into. That even with the power she doesn't belong anywhere. She's seen what this kind of power has done to the Darkling and even to Baghra. I could absolutely understand her conflict. Maybe she could have controlled it, but even during the books she spends most of her time feeling guilty and tormented by what she might do with it. This is logical. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the big example she has is the Darkling. So I didn't see her losing her powers (especially the way she did it and for the reasons that it happened) as bad. She made a gigantic sacrifice of something precious to her (but that also terrified her) to basically save the world and eliminate nearly immortal evil. And she also kept herself from becoming something she would loathe. Even Baghra, who wasn't outright evil, hadn't exactly been enjoying living forever. People say "oh she doesn't get what she wants", but I'm not sure wielding infinite power and living forever and possibly turning into the Darkling at some point is what she wants. Even she feels herself hungering for more and it makes her uncomfortable now, but what about in the future?

And do not get me started on all these people who have this weird notion that Alina could somehow have "Tamed" the Darkling. I have never understood these people who think that some dark evil guy is better for our heroine than a normal guy. Look, the Darkling is handsome and charming, but he is EVIL and he never makes a secret of just how evil he is. Sure, he thinks he's just doing what is going to save his country, but his method of "saving" entails killing off anyone who doesn't agree with him in horrible awful ways. How can ANYONE think she belongs with him? Yes, he's the only one who understands her power, but that doesn't make them somehow perfect for one another! He tears his own mother's eyes out. He tortures Genya (whose only crime is not shooting the only person who's ever seemed to actually like her for herself in the face). He turns Nikolai into a monster. He destroys a whole city on a whim. He slaughters hundreds perhaps thousands of people just during the course of the books. He tries to ENSLAVE Alina (and basically tells her, oh you'll get used to it babe, it's fine, I'm just helping your reach your potential... talk about condescending). Just moments before the end he's telling Alina that he'll take a lifetime to BREAK HER. Look, girls, he's hot, but she is not going to be FIXING him.

I never found him in the least bit appealing at all as a romantic partner. I thought it was fairly clear that the pull towards the Darkling was less love than it was desire and that neither of them liked it particularly. As soon as Alina lost her powers, the Darkling lost interest anyway. Sure he's a tragic figure, corrupted by his own power and all that, and in the end Alina feels sorry for him (and he is pitiable in the end), but come on. The books never set him up as a viable option for her, and it would've been just gross if she got together with him. What he did to Genya alone was disgusting (first using her the way he did vs. the King, then the whole torture thing).

Maybe Mal isn't perfect, and maybe people think he's bland or dumb or that he broke Alina's heart or that he wasn't understanding enough, which I suppose is fine. He was frustrating in book two, but I think that all rang true for his character. It was very human of him and that's what he is. Human (well for the most part).

I suppose you could make the argument that Nikolai could've made her happy too, and I think that's valid, but let's put to rest this whole "she could've fixed the Darkling" crap. If I was Leigh Bardugo I'd be more than a little disturbed by it.

Read this review and more at Classy Cat Books on wordpress.

With every new book of Bardugo's I read, I have a greater and greater appreciation for her skill with story craftig.

The first book left me feeling unsure, not really particularly liking the story or the writing, but even months after I had first read it, I still found myself thinking about the Darkling and Alina, wondering about what the next course of events would be. The second book kept me on the edge of my seaet, entranced by the twists and turns; and again, I found myself thinking about it for months, just a trickle of thought every now and then.

Finally, I've finished the third book and gotten the resolution I so longed for. And I suspect I will still find myself coming back to this world and war so artfully crafted.

I admire Bardugo's ability to write something so memorable--her characters and places and plots are all so real. One of the things I'm most impressed by is the depth of her characters, particularly the Darkling. He has context, a history that lead him to where he is today. More importantly, he is consistent. He is ruthless and demanding, and he always will be. Bardugo didn't have him pull his punches just to spare the reader. It's easy to understand what is driving him, and even Alina, who is fighting against him, understands why he is the way he is--in fact, she feels that same pull. The "good guys" are fully developed and have strong, unique personalities rather than being "cookie cutter characters."

One of the things that I really like about this series is the fact that Bardugo tackles the concept of loss. The heroes won, but it came at a great cost. And even though we have a happy ending, we are still given the chance to mourn the characters who have died. It's especially telling to me that even those who survived and will go on to live long, happy lives have suffered great personal loss. As Mal says, "loss is loss," and Bardugo doesn't belittle the seemingly smaller issues in light of the larger ones.

I'm so glad I ended up reading these books, and I'm even more glad that I gave the second one a chance after not having been too thrilled with the first one. If you feel kind of like that about the series, please keep reading--you won't regret it.

This book was absolute perfection. Amazing. Incredible. It's been a month since I first read it and I still get chills just thinking about this book. I worried how this book would end, especially after being disappointed with the end of my other favorite trilogy Divergent, I was so concerned that I would suffer a similar disappointment. I can't believe that I doubted Leigh Bardugo, I should have known better. From book one the plot intensified and continued to get better and better. Bardugo did not slump for a single moment. Absolutely fantastic book, it was thrilling, sexy, hilarious, and sweet. I just can't believe it's over.

Full Review: http://brittanysbookrambles.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-of-leigh-bardugos-ruin-and-rising.html

I was told each book gets better, and I was not lied to. I was NOT told, however, how much this story would destroy me.

What a fulfilling end to this series. I admit one plot twist left me kind of disappointed. But it was woven together in such a way I really couldn't argue with it. And I think it made the other character's story that much more important.

I just... I'm really happy. When I met Leigh Bardugo, she told me since I'd read the SOC duology, I would think I knew how this series was going to end. I assured her I was going in with no expectations on how it would end - but I was still taken completely by surprise. I think this book was a perfect mix of emotion, wonder, and loss. It wrapped up the tale that this series built in such a great way. And it did so with such perfect pacing.

I'm just really glad I read this series. But I'm going to suffer now for over a year while I wait for 2019.

Such a good series! I read each of these books in one sitting. They were brilliant, magical, emotional, and well-thought out. I loved the first book with the introduction of the characters, the scenery, and the plot twist. The second one I liked a lot but it got a little slow for me. But the third definitely delivered the biggest boom for me. It was unpredictable with its plot twists and gut-wrenching with its emotion. I LOVE when a book can make me feel something for each and every character. Each character was different in his/her own right, and they were all unique, yet completely believable. A writer has done his/her job well when you miss the characters and the world they live in when you have to close the book. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a brilliant, unique fantasy!

I wanted to wait until I was finished to write a review for the series as a whole. I've been reading a lot more YA recently than I ever have, even when I was in the intended age group, and this series kind of reminds me why I don't really care for YA as a "genre." I can easily see why people like it. It's just not really for me.

PROS:

The writing is very good. Her style is crisp and easy to follow. She does use quite a bit of setting descriptions, which I always appreciate. The story is well-written and easy to follow, though I did question her word choice a couple of times throughout the series. It mainly looked like she was using a thesaurus at those points, nothing jarring, just kind of awkward.

She does a good job with pacing, for the most part, as well. The school section in the first book is kind of dull and boring, but it's a necessary part of the story for the main character. The endings of all three books never really seemed rushed, and each book has a definite ending.

The side characters are mostly what kept me reading this series. The stand-outs, for me at least, were Genya and Nikolai, though they are often hit-and-miss. Genya and Nikolai both have intriguing and engaging personalities, and they steal every scene they're in.

CONS:

The characters are boring and two-dimensional. Our main character/narrator, Alina, is the stereotypical high fantasy protagonist, the poor kid who realizes through happenstance that she has special powers and now has to save the world. There is really nothing more to her than that. The author does try to make her a little different than our usual female protags by making her "not beautiful," but this kind of falls flat when everyone seems to want her. The way she speaks to people and the way she thinks are weirdly at odds throughout the series as well, to the point where it almost seems like someone else is talking every time she opens her mouth. I just don't buy a lonely, rejected orphan being that sarcastic and disdainful with the people around her when she constantly says that she just wants love and friends. Her main love interest, Mal, is just shy of unbearable. He was way more fun and unique in the beginning of the first book when he was kind of the womanizing jerk, but then, he just magically switched to being a brooding, possessive jerk that I've seen a hundred times. He's just bland, and I was already hating him before the first book even ended. He only continued to get worse.

The villain is evil for the sake of being evil. I know people love the Darkling. I've seen plenty of reviews on here claiming how he's a great villain who thinks he's the hero doing the right thing. Maybe a third-person perspective would've shown more of that, but all I saw was a bad guy bent on manipulating everyone around him to get what he wanted. He claims numerous times that all he's doing is for the betterment of his country, but then, Alina and everyone else just says that he's an ambitious liar. There was intent to show complexity with him, but even the explanation for his motives was lackluster and unsuccessful.

The magic is interesting but poorly explained. I don't have a problem with "soft" magic systems where the rules aren't really laid out for the readers, but this was constantly portrayed as a "hard" system with defined rules. I felt Alina's confusion surrounding the hows of this system. She didn't understand a lot of how the magic worked, and neither did I by the end. For instance, the characters need their arms to use their magic. Fine, okay. But why can't they use it if their arms are tied? Some characters are living amplifiers, but that's only brought up when it's necessary for the plot. There is also no explanation for why sun summoners are so rare, and the explanation for the Darkling's unique powers is kit of bland. I like the idea that it's viewed as a science rather than magic, but there isn't really enough reasoning behind it to back that up. The Shadow Fold is an interesting concept and another part of why I stuck with the first book, but it fell into the background by the second book until it was barely even a threat to anyone anymore. There is also constant references to bones having special power, but there isn't any more information given than that. It could've been a really cool design element for both the settings and the culture, but it was kind of just there.

There are deus ex machinas and plotholes running rampant throughout the series. The end of the series is a HUGE deus ex machina, as is the ending to the first book. I appreciate the twist to how they get rid of the Fold, but there is no setup for that anywhere in the rest of the story. And the other spoilery bit that ties in with that is clearly only there so the characters can all get their happy endings. There's no reason or proper explanation for why it happens. It just does, and it feels cheap. The biggest plothole is the Cut, something that apparently only Alina and the Darkling can use. There's no explanation for this, not even an attempt to teach anyone else to use it when it is often their only chance to save themselves.

CONCLUSION:

This book is a stereotypical YA fantasy. It's got your love triangles and teenage angst, complete with an underdog heroine with special powers. It reads very by-the-numbers, and by the end, there really isn't anything new or unique about it. Its biggest flaws are with its characters, both main and secondary, though there are some shining examples of good characters. I have seen people complain about the use of Russian throughout the story, but I honestly didn't find it all that distracting. The only time it was distracting was when people randomly started speaking phonetic Ravkan, rather than the printed English we were used to seeing. It was just an odd style choice. The magic system is interesting, if a bit cheapened by plotholes and deus ex machinas. I would've liked to see more world-building, mainly with the Ravkan culture, but the settings are beautiful and very nicely written. It's also written in first-person, which is usually teeth-grindingly awful for me to read, but this was well done. It never felt like Alina wasn't telling the story. Though I would have much rather seen the world from multiple eyes, the author was very consistent in her portrayal through Alina's.

If you're looking for an easy, quick YA fantasy, this wouldn't be a terrible choice. It's enjoyable enough, though the ending and (groan) Mal made me want to put the books down numerous times. (Seriously, Mal is the worst, and his relationship with Alina is unhealthy and manipulative from start to finish.) It's not awful, but it's certainly not anything to write home about. And it will probably be my last foray into YA for a LONG time. I can only take so much girlish happiness at a time.

RUIN AND RISING was a heart-wrenching and satisfying conclusion to the Grisha Trilogy. It was filled with action, adventure, danger, hope and heartbreak.

Alina has to find the third of Morozova's amplifiers if she wants to have any chance to defeat the Darkling. She and Mal and a small group of Grisha survivors need to look for the legendary firebird while staying out of the hands of the Darkling who will do anything to stop them.

Alina is torn between her love for Mal, her duty to Ravka which might mean forging an alliance with Nikolai, and her strange connection to the Darkling. She learns all sorts of secrets as she journeys and most of all she needs to learn the secrets of her own heart.

The writing was lush, lyrical, and page-turning. The emotions were very intense. And the conclusion was very satisfying. I'll admit I shed some tears along the way.

This book takes us through the ways that Alina grows even more inter her power while working with people she considers friends to take down the Darkling. It's quite interesting. Harshaw and Zoya, characters who originally annoyed me, really grew on me in this book.

The Apparat is a great example of how religious people can live under the law of religion and not through faith.

I HATE that the queen knew what the king was doing with Genya. I am so glad that Nikolai understands and he shows the support to all. He is willing to rid the kingdom of rapists like his father and mother no matter where they lie in hierarchy.

Mal pretty much pushing Alina to Nikolai was weird. It's not 100% unexpected, ut it's odd.

Baghra tells a very sad but wonderful story that helps Alina (and the reader) understand the history of the world...and of the Darkling.

I liked the first book well enough, but really liked the sequel, so I was hoping for an epic finale in Ruin and Rising. Unfortunately, I was left underwhelmed. Everything was just too easy, convenient, and predictable. Qualities that are always annoying, but almost unforgivable in a series finale. At the opening, Alina and her allies are at the White Cathedral, but the Apparat makes sure to keep them separated. Alina is mopey and weak without her powers, but this would make for a very boring book, so soon enough there's a fight, break out, and powers are restored. The group heads out to finally track down the Firebird, so that Alina has a hope of defeating the Darkling.

Aside from Alina's powers immediately being restored, Ruin and Rising does suffer from a lot of convenient events in the face of horrible things. For as much as the characters go through, not much actually happens, which had me bored most of the time. Then something exciting would happen, and I would worry how it was going to pan out, but then it would be fixed, getting back on the boring track. On top of that, most of the book is one giant foreshadowing, so as soon as one twist was revealed, I knew exactly how the book would end! This should not happen! I don't want to spoil anything, but one particular Grisha power is discussed at length, which makes it quite obvious what's to come. I would have rather it be mentioned in passing, and then be surprised! Not beaten over the head with it.

I really don't have anything to say about Ruin and Rising. It was an okay ending to a pretty good series. The final battle wasn't exciting or epic at all. It just kind of happened. Twists weren't really twists. But the epilogue was really cute, even if I guessed that that would happen, too.

I don’t know where to start. Ruin and Rising was one of the most anticipated book for me. When I finally got my copy, I was overjoyed and a bit nervous to finally learn the Darkling's name( *sighs*), and everything that will happen to end the series. I was so not disappointed. In this book everything that happen on Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm click together, every question was answered ( in the most unexpected way). The story of Morozava was the most shocking, thou I wasn't that off about the connection between him and the Darkling.
And now that I mention the Darkling I wasn't disappointed one bit about everything he did (thou he wasn't that present like that last two books). And his name, Love it, so common but makes him look more human. I know he can be a “monster” but that’s the only way he knows what to be. I love his somewhat redemption in the end. Oh and did I mention who hot he is ,no, well HOT!!!
Now, to Mal. What can I say, I felt for him, such a splendid ( and a bit martyr) soul. To learn what he truly has, it made complete sense. I was so sad to learn what happen to him that I almost couldn't finished reading R&R; but then again, I wanted more to know how Alina will react. I was jumping and screaming like a crazy person as I read the “miracle” produced in Mal. I may have fallen for Mal, but the Darkling will always be in my heart (like in Alina’s).
Nikolai, man was I so not expecting that to happen to him, but wow he’s such a fighter and cocky to the end. You just have to love him.
Alina, I love to see the changes and growth she has gone trough over the course of the three books specially in this one. She was awesome, great heroine.
I took my time reading Ruin and Rising because I wanted to savored every feeling, event, outcome, change, learning, everything about it. I was absolutely delighted with the writing, well the story itself. I loved everything Bardugo writes. Prior to reading this final book, I read the first to book again( for like the fourth time) and the short stories accompanying the Grisha Trilogy. She is an amazing writer with the ability to transport the reader to a whole new level of satisfaction. She was gifted and blesses by the Saints. This book exceeded my expectations.
I won’t say more or I will end up discussing every aspect of the story and more (which will spoiled everything for those who haven’t read it) YOU MUST READ IT, HEAR ME (or is it read me?).JUST READ IT.
I have only one word for this book UNFORGETABLE. 5 are not enough, will give it an 8 (one of my favorite numbers) Stars.

This and other reviews on my blog, My Friends Are Fiction

My Thoughts:
I’m going to make this review spoiler free for Ruin and Rising since I know that most people haven’t read it yet. Due to that I’ll not provide plot points or go into a lot of depth about details but instead will share generalized feelings and writing style. You can see from my rating that I loved this book. The entire series was beautifully done and I felt that Bardugo provided the best ending possible in this last book.

Due to my immense excitement to dive into Ruin and Rising I did not reread the series. Because of this, the first third of the book was a bit slowly paced and I spent a good amount of time trying to recall secondary characters and get all the events from Siege and Storm clear in my head. If you’ve got the will power I’d say reread or at least skim the last book to get you back up to date on all that happened. As you read it’ll come back but I think you’ll enjoy the first section of the book more if you are better prepared.

As always Bardugo delivers on her characters-especially the central cast including Alina, Mal, The Darkling and Sturmhond. The Darkling wasn’t as present as I expected though each scene he was in was impactful and meaningful. Alina continued to struggle with her power and its impact. I have absolutely loved seeing how much her character has changed and grown over the course of the three novels.

I love Bardugo’s ability to describe her world and its people. With each novel we learn more about the Fold and the events that led up to the current state of Alina’s world. I felt that the questions I had from the first two novels were addressed and answered in this last installment. Nothing felt forgotten or pushed aside. I felt that it was evident that Bardugo had a plan of action from the start of the series; I loved that nothing felt accidental or unimportant.

As with the prior books I loved the writing in this book. The style was elegant with vivid descriptions and lively dialog. There is something to be said about an author capable of creating such different characters that they have a rapport with one another. The subject matter was heavy but the humorous dialog helped to liven up some of the darker scenes. Bardugo knows how to create relationships between characters and have them feel real to the reader.

Final Thoughts:
What a bitter sweet feeling to have upon finishing Ruin and Rising; on one hand I’m completely thrilled with the choices Bardugo made in her story but at the same time I’m distraught that we have to say goodbye to these characters we’ve grown to know and love. I felt that though I struggled in the beginning to refresh my memory of the world, events and characters this novel was beautifully constructed and executed. Of course I’ll be on edge waiting for Bardugo’s next book, The Dregs which will be set in the same universe as the Grisha series.

That was the best ending ever and such a surprise! I totally didn't see that one coming and I am so glad that it did. Alina and Mal stand side by side through this whole book knowing that they will never be able to be together and still they love and take care of each other. It was so sweet and yet painful to read. What happened to Nikolia was a shock and made me cry. It was so hard to keep up with my feelings for the Darkling. He is so lost and broken and evil and lonely and rotten. My feelings just go up and down concerning him and so do Alina's. Once again the ending was so amazing and I loved the interesting twists and just blew me away. I highly recommend this whole series!

Perfectly perfect! I'll admit I doubted Leigh, but in the end, things were resolved just the way they should be. What a perfect ending to one of my most beloved series. Books like these are what makes life long readers. In the end, I am so thankful that love overcame. Sometimes evil is just evil and can overtake good, as it does so many times in our real lives. As much as everyone may have wanted the Darkling to prove to be a worthy character, he was just overcome with greed and lost his humanity to the thirst for power. To me, it had to end this way, with love and sacrifice, the true powers in the world, saving the day. So thankful for this story and that Leigh Bardugo ended it in such a perfect style. And while I may have, after long awaiting the conclusion, turned the last page of this epic tale, I know that there really is no end to this story.

So I finished RUIN & RISING two days ago and it’s taken me all this time to pull myself together enough to share my thoughts.

Oh, boy.

Quickly before I start: This contains NO SPOILERS. I’ll be vague and I little frustrating for this sake.

It’s no real secret that I love this series. It’s no real secret that I think everyone should. RUIN & RISING promised a lot and it delivered even more.

How can I say this without exaggerating? Leigh Bardugo finished her Grisha trilogy with the best kind of bang—the type that builds and builds and leaves you deaf and dumbfounded when it finally explodes.

I was definitely dumbfounded.

There’s a twist you guys. A TWIST. Ok, several twists, but there’s one particular plot-twist that sort of left me staring at the words on the page wondering how I hadn’t seen it before.

The whole book is just page after page of beautiful words and badass plots and the most perfect weaving together of all things left unanswered in the other books. Even some things I hadn’t realized were unanswered.

The character growth from the first book to this one, and even within this book, just breaks my heart in good ways. I cried as a reader and I cried as a writer and it was awesome.

To be honest, I started crying on Chapter 11 and just didn’t stop.

Let’s talk (in vague, vague terms) about Chapter 11: OH MY GOD. I get emotional just thinking about it. Of all things I didn’t expect, this was probably number 1 on my non-existent list. I—

I cried a lot.

You may think I’m kidding, but I’m not. It was 1 am and I was reading in the dark and I just put my iPad down and started crying. Sobbing. Weeping. I emailed my friends and cried some more. I could not pick up the book until the next day.

It hit me. Hard. And I hope it hits you all, too.

Basically, this was a perfect ending to a wonderful series and Leigh Bardugo carried everything flawlessly. I cannot wait for her new series to come out.

I guess, meanwhile, I can always re-read.

I am reviewing book 3 but I have read all three books and I gave 5 stars. It's been a fantastic read I got all three then started one after the next couldn't and wouldn't put down until I read all the books . OMG this series is a must read I will not give anything away I'm telling you to read Alina and Mal are orphans with powers and their are people after her powers namely Darkling who wants to be united with her for the power and then there's the Prince who cares for her but she only loves one man anyway there are ups downs side ways plots magic love hate you name it it's here so take my advise and read this series.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Book Three of the Grisha trilogy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 17, 2014
Rating: 3 stars
Source: Public library

Summary (from Goodreads):

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

What I Liked:

The end is near. For this trilogy, I mean. In fact, this is the end. And what an ending it was. What a trilogy this was. From the start, I wasn't crazy about the series. Sure, I liked books one and two, and gave each four stars. But I wasn't dying to read each book as they came out. I won an ARC of book one, back when I was just a reader (not a blogger). I read it because Dani at Refracted Light pushed Shadow and Bone on me personally- and I really enjoyed the book, so that was a good thing! At the time, I really, really wanted to read book two. But I read Siege and Storm recently, in January - not immediately upon publication. Even this book - I read it in August, and my review is being posted whenever (probably towards the end of the year).

What I'm trying to say is that I was never entirely invested in this series. Sure, I enjoyed the books. But I wasn't going nuts to read book two or book three, or even book one. I know many people were incredibly disappointed by this book - they were so hoping for one thing or the other. Honestly? Maybe if I were more invested in the series, I would have been part of the one extreme or the other. But it appears that I didn't care as much as most did, so I wasn't too disappointed or too ecstatic.

In this final novel, Alina must find the firebird to retain all three amplifiers and find the power and will to defeat the Darkling. At the moment, she's very weak, after the stunt at the end of book two. But with the help of her ragtag team, Alina journeys to find the firebird, and save Ravka.

I must say, Bardugo's storytelling is AMAZING. This story, across the three books, is stunning. Creative and rich - it's hard not to get swept away. I'll be honest: I got confused a lot and forgot a lot of names and didn't care enough to look them up in the other books, but I found that it was okay. Bardugo has a way of telling the story and describing things and throwing names out there but making sure that her readers won't be completely lost or not able to understand the story. At a bare minimum, you'll know what's going on. I had a little more than the bare minimum to work with, but I'm glad that Bardugo made it easy to read these books.

The world-building is incredible. This series is fantasy, so the world is purely from Bardugo's imagination. This book really showcased Bardugo's brilliance, in my opinion. The world-building, the writing style, the imagery... flawless! I love the Russian influence - Russian, I believe? Eastern European? Whatever it is, I love it!

The plot was so complex and twisty and weird and sad and terrifying and exciting! I feel like it was hard to be happy at any point in this series. There are rare pockets of positive moments in this book, rare moments of humor, and I love those moments. Sometimes, some of the things the characters say are hilarious. But back to the plot. Bardugo keep throwing obstacle after obstacle at Alina, never giving any of her characters a break. Poor Alina. Poor Mal. Poor Nikolai. Those three suffer the most, in my opinion. And maybe Baghra. And the Darkling.

The romance... well, I can see why people hated this book for the romance. But from the start of the series, and the start of this book in particular, I just knew. That's all I'm saying. The ending is a fitting ending, romance and all things Ravka. I liked the ending.

What I Did Not Like:

Meh. This book didn't make me cry, or laugh with delight, or give me a feeling of satisfaction. I love the imagery and fantasy world that Bardugo has created, but I didn't necessarily love or hate the plot, the romance, the characters. Like I said in the beginning of the review, I was never completely invested in the series. I needed the push to read book one. I needed a push to read book two. I wanted to read book three because goshdarnit I will finish the series if I've already read the first two books!

I liked Alina, but I wasn't necessarily rooting for her. I never really liked Mal, though I liked him in this book. I LOVED Sturmhond/Nikolai - he didn't get the ending he deserved. That particular character/plotline didn't get justice (or justice wasn't done to them, or however I should put that). I'm not exactly talking about the romance.

I guess I'm just feeling a sense of apathy. But this apathy isn't totally towards this one book - I'm pretty detached from the entire series. I *like* the series, but I don't love it. I enjoyed the books, but I'm not dying over them or fangirling over them or anything. You feel?

Would I Recommend It:

If you've made it this far, then totally! Definitely read book three if you've read books one and two, or even just book one (though you should definitely read book two before reading book three).

And honestly, in my opinion, this is a great series to binge-read! If you haven't read any of the books, I think it would be an excellent idea to set aside some time and just binge the whole series. It's a beautiful fantasy series! I just wish I were more invested. Especially since my blog name appears in both book one and book two's paperback editions.

Rating:

3 stars. Maybe 3.5 stars? Not that Goodreads, the store, and Barnes & Noble do half stars. I liked this book! It was an interesting conclusion novel! Not the epic showdown I expected, but also not what I expected in terms of the twists and turns. Bardugo is a master when it comes to that. I'm really glad that Dani at Refracted Light Reviews pushed me towards this series. It all started with a Facebook post about a book trailer!

Action-packed with interesting character who continued to grow and mature from the first two novels. Suspenseful and full of surprises this story of good versus evil, light versus dark, takes place in a fascinating world with topography that is awe-inspiring in its imaginings. The violence is graphic and not for the feint of heart. Occasionally, certain contrivances seemed more for convenience than believability, but the story was still compulsively readable and enjoyable. A pleasing wrap-up to a very good trilogy. Recommended for fans of fantasy and paranormal young adult fiction. Probably better for older teens due to mature content.

I finished the book last night and I'm still digesting it. I think I liked it? But having that doubt really isn't a good sign.

I was first introduced to the series because I saw ravings for Six Of Crows. I started that book when I found out that the Grisha Trilogy was the predecessor of the same universe, and I put it on pause so I could catch up. From my little experience of Six of Crows, I am disappointed with the Grisha Trilogy overall, but I am also very excited to continue Six of Crows because I believe it will be better.

What I appreciated from the series is the different cultures and how there are so many surrounding countries. I loved the different settings and the technological advancements during the series. I loved the writing style and how quickly we moved from point to point. I loved Alina's development. (Mal was a little pathetic, but he was an interesting moody balance to The Darkling and Nikolai). And I loved that unlikely strangers banded together in unity.

I also loved how the Darkling was portrayed initially. In the first book, Alina knew he was dangerous and wanted to stay away, but then befriended him and was allured to the darkness, when suddenly reality hit that yes, the Darkling WAS prone to evil, no matter how appealing he looked or reasoned. Even Alina thought "Maybe the Darkling is onto something..." I liked it as a metaphor for the darkness that surround us today: yes, it exists, and it can be tempting, but it will ultimately destroy you.

(Spoilers of the last book from this point forward)

But then the Darkling's characterization gets murkier and murkier, particularly from Alina's perspective. He ultimately ends up completely humanized in death, which is a great ending, but the journey was rocky. We get background information but arguably not enough. Even though the Darkling's coup fell through, we aren't given more evidence of his motives to control Ravka. His wanting peace was a great motive despite the horrible means to achieve it, but did he still desire that peace at all? Was it just a facade? Either would be an interesting point but I just don't know which is supposed to be right.

The same can be said for the Apparat. From the first book, we see that the Apparat is crazed and creepy but he kept reaching out to Alina. Maybe I'm used to the trope that he genuinely wanted to help Alina but just sucked at conveying it. But then we reach the last book and I don't know who the Apparat is. Was he genuinely a good guy, but Alina's understandable doubt and distrust clouded her judgment? Or was he only looking out for himself the entire time? If that's the case, I have a hard time reconciling that image with the man in the first book. Even in the White Cathedral, his actions and words felt contradictory. Is his religious zeal authentic or forced? I could never figure him out and he's still a puzzle to me. His characterization and ending felt oblique.

In fact, I had a hard time understanding the religion as a whole. The world-building fell short there. I understand that it's Saints-based, but why? What makes them a Saint? A martyred death? Then what do they talk about in church? "Do good and one day you might die unjustly but you will be revered." And despite its importance, Alina never thinks twice about religion. She just doesn't care. Mal brings up faith at the beginning of this book, but it never resurfaced. The best representations of "good" religious characters are Tamar and Tolya, but they're not vocal about it. They just keep going. That part of them was never justified except for the part where it moved the plot forward. Even when they betrayed the Apparat, Alina thought "okay they're trustworthy because they risked their lives, lets keep going." But I'm sure they have deeper religious sentiment, except the religion is poorly developed. I don't believe the author understood enough about religion (specifically, Eastern Orthodox Christianity) to incorporate it as an essential part of the story. It functioned only as a safety net in the plot.

Alina's motives were hard to guess at times. Her focus was primarily on the love triangle and her attention to anything else felt contrived. For example, she sent the young soldiers to Keramzin as a strategical move but the sympathy didn't begin until after that. She didn't relate to them as soldiers but as orphans.

Another thing that I did not like: I had to keep going online to define Corporalnik and the other Grisha orders. I could guess some based on context and root words but not always. Even now I cannot tell you which order wears each color.

Otherwise I loved the rest of the characters. I loved that Zoya stayed a "Mean Girl" but was on Alina's side. I loved that Genya always stood up for herself. And of course, I loved Nikolai's charm. Most of my questions and theories were answered as I followed along, and I appreciated the explanation of Mal's peculiarity and his resurection. It made sense.

Still, I'm glad I took the time to read the Grisha Trilogy. And I've very excited to continue Six of Crows. I believe Leigh Bardugo is a great writer and will come to write even better things.

For so long I have waited for Ruin and Rising. And now it is finally mine. And it was so worth the wait. This book was perfect. It wrapped up the trilogy perfectly. It fit very well with the first two books. It gave me closure. Pfff. I will never have closure, lol. It gave me heartbreak. It gave me tears. It gave me joy beyond joy. Oh, how I loved it. It was just so perfect.

I just cannot describe how much I loved Ruin and Rising. Because there are no words. Just feelings. And I felt so much for this book. Thank you, Leigh, for writing it. It will always have a special place in my heart. Sigh. And I will be re-reading all three books in the near future. Because yeah. Such an amazing trilogy. Such stunning writing as well. I'm in love.

I will not be share spoilers in my review. But then. If you all know me, you know who I ship in this book. Who I love more than words. And you probably know that if it hadn't ended like I wanted it to, I wouldn't have loved Ruin and Rising to pieces. So keep that in mind before you read more. Because I might have a lot to say. And I will speak a lot about that one character I love more than all the rest. Sigh. If you choose to not read more of my review, then I hope you go to pick up Ruin and Rising right away. Because it is a book worth reading. No matter which character you love. Psst, I love a lot of them :)

What I should talk about in my review I do not know. Because I want to talk about it all, yet I don't want to spoil anything. And I don't want to recap any of the books. So I'm not doing that. Instead I will just talk about my feelings. About things that happen. About the amazing characters that I love and adore and hate a little. First, Ruin and Rising is told from the point of view of Alina. Just like the first books. Which I love. As I adore her. There are also a Before and a After chapter, like earlier. So much love! <3

There is so much to love in this book. I can't even begin to name it all. But first, the plot. I love everything about the story in these books. It is amazing to read about the Grisha. I love reading about all their powers. But I also love reading about those who don't have power. You don't always have to be powerful. But yes. I loved reading about the Grisha. I loved reading about Mal. And the truth about his tracking skills. Which was all kinds of awesome to read about and a big plot twist. So sad and beautiful.

There are so many characters in this book. And I loved so many of them. Baghra. Misha. Harshaw. His cat. Sniffs. And I adore Genya and David. And Zoya! I actually really, really loved her in this book. Which made me happy. She's an awesome character. Then here is the Darkling. I admit, I still don't like him. To me, he will always be a villain. And so evil. Because he is. He does some pretty awful things in this book. It hurt my heart. Like the hanging tree. I can't deal with it. It was just so very heartless of him.

My biggest love in this series is Mal. Who is just all kind of awesome. I will forever love him the most. Sniffs. He's so loving and loyal and kind and sweet and perfect. I love reading about him. To me, he is the best part of the series. Though I love all of it. But Mal a little bit more, hih. He is just so amazing. Though he is perfect, he is also flawed. And I love that the most about him. I love how good he is at tracking. I love how much he loves Alina. How he do anything for her. Always. He always love her.

"You are all I've ever wanted," he said. "You are the whole of my heart."

Then there is Alina. And she will always be a favorite heroine of mine. She's amazing. I love how she turns stronger in each of the books. I love that she is the strongest in this book. I love how she chooses to do things. How she stands by it. Sure, I hated that she kept her distance at times. But I also understood her. A little bit. So yes. I adored Alina. She's amazing. Oh. And Nikolai. Hmph. I do like him as a character. He is funny. I just still don't like him as a love interest, lol. But I did love the plot twist!

I should also mention that I adore Leigh. She is such a kind and gentle person. And an amazing author. Sigh. She's awesome. And I cannot wait to read more books by her. It will be awesome and fun and yeah. Wishing The Dregs would be out right away, hih. <3 Because I know that I will love it. I love what Leigh has said about it on Tumblr. It sounds amazing. And I just cannot wait. I know it will be perfect. So now I'm just waiting. Another year, I think? Forever. But I will survive. Because I will re-read these books. <3

There was one scene in this book that made me cry. And I never cry when I read books. Or at any other times, to be honest. But this scene. A little over halfway into the book. It broke my heart into a million pieces. It was not a good cry. It was.. oh. So heartbreaking and I'm still crying just thinking about it. Others might not be bothered by it, but I was. See. There was a meteor shower. And Mal was coming to get Alina. And he was smiling so big. He was so happy. And then. Sobs. I will not say more. But damn it.

But there wasn't only this heartbreaking scene in the book. There was also the most perfect scene near the end of the book. So gorgeous and perfect and real and honest. I cannot deal with how good it was to read about. How happy it made me. How happy this book made me. Sigh. It was perfect. I cannot deal with all the feelings Ruin and Rising made me feel. I just cannot fully believe how perfect this book was. How everything I wanted to happen happened. How it was just all kinds of perfect. Sigh. I'm so happy.

There isn't that much more I want to say about Ruin and Rising. Okay, fine, I could talk forever about my love for Mal and Alina and everyone. But I will not. Because you all need to read this book and then you can come discuss it with me. Sigh. But oh. The ending for this book? It was perfect. Truly perfect. Just like I always wanted it to end. And I love that Leigh followed her heart when she ended the trilogy. I thought it was beautiful, fitting and very real and honest. Thank you, Leigh, for this beautiful trilogy.

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See my blog post review for one long GORGEOUS teaser from the book. <3 Here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2014/06/review-ruin-and-rising-by-leigh-bardugo.html

This is the year of conclusions for so many great YA series. Leigh Bardugo's RUIN AND RISING is another end. It's a close which is satisfying but not without its flaws.

Alina, the Sun Summoner, is still in hiding after a battle against her nemesis, the powerful and seductive Darkling. But if there's something Alina is good at, it's taking action. This girl does not sit around waiting for other people to do something for her. Now she's on a quest with her friends to hunt for the third amplifier which will aid in her battle against the Darkling. She will end it once and for all.

Ravka is one of my favorite fictional places to visit. As other reviewers have said, Ms. Bardugo has created a world whose cities and landscapes are so vivid. The tiers of the Small Science, coupled with the social and political strife, are solid. To say I'm anxiously awaiting her spinoff series, which takes place in the same world but in a different country, is an understatement.

I am not without my grumblings though. As much as I would like to completely fangirl over this trilogy, some elements stuck out like massive boulders in my path of enjoyment. Alina's abilities come in at convenient times. She's able to learn complicated things with a few attempts. I'm relieved I'm not the only one to be put off by the hunt for the third amplifier. After all the build up and anxious wondering, it was a letdown. The explanation which led up to this should have been a tip off.

The progression to the final battle was well done, but the show down was a little anticlimactic. As neat and tidy as it was, it was a lot more realisitic than some other fight endings I've read recently. The wrap up was very fairy tale-like. I wouldn't have minded a darker ending because the tone of the book throughout was dark.

While I may grumble, it was a worthwhile journey with the trilogy. I am still very much looking forward to THE DREGS. I recommend this series whole heartedly!

This one was my least favorite of the trilogy but still an incredible book and a great way to end the series. I'm so happy I finally read this trilogy and I hope to jump into the Six of Crows duology soon. Leigh Bardugo writes some amazing characters and I can't wait to see more of them in her other books.

I thought this was a great ending to the series. Siege and Storm dragged a little for me, so I was worried this would be unsatisfying, but I really liked it. The Grisha world is truly the strength of this series - it is so rich and detailed and a place I love to read about. I'm glad Bardugo is continuing to write in this world with Six of Crows (which was awesome) and Crooked Kingdom. As for the story and characters, some things were a bit convenient but overall, it was a really enjoyable conclusion to the Grisha trilogy.

I couldn't put this down. Was it perfect? Certainly not. A few things worked out just a bit too neatly considering all the wretchedness that came before it but overall I thought the series ended quite well. There were some great twists and turns that I certainly didn't see coming. There were some truly horrible moments that made me want to shy away from the words on the page. There were some really fantastic moments of connection and emotional content. All in all I really loved the series and this was a very satisfying ending.

My favorite book in the series. The first book to me was really slow, second book was so much better, and then there is this amazing thing. There is tons of action all the time and tons of unexpected twists. I feel like I'm the only person not madly in love with The Darkling. And all I'm asking for is more Nikolai please.

I would definitely recommend this series!

Personally, I thought this final book was a unique and refreshing end to the series. I know some people were unhappy with it, but that's because they were wanting something from this series that it never promised...I won't say more since spoilers.

What I loved about these books is that there was a great balance between the "romance" and the action. Most YA authors these days go way too overboard with the romance and the plot/storyline always suffers! But these books, and this last one especially, is packed with action that will have you biting your nails as you read and a fulfilling ending to the romance side of things (maybe a little cheesy at times...but meh).

Overall, great book. It's been days since finishing it and I can't seem to shake the Shadow Fold from my mind.

I am so disappointed with this book. It's not a book I hated because, in all honesty, I think it's impossible for Bardugo to deliver a novel that I would absolutely despise, but I honestly feel as if Bardugo could have done better. While her writing is still gorgeous and her characterization is always above and beyond expectation, the plot of this one was seriously out of whack and I found myself becoming more and more frustrated as the book progressed. Books one and two are among my favorite novels ever, but it almost seems as if this book was written by someone else.
With all plot problems aside, Bardugo's writing style is so lyrical that it'll always drag me in. I am a reading slave to this woman. I will read anything she writes, though I may go in with more reservations now than I would have prior to reading this novel. One thing is for certain and that is the fact that Bardugo knows how to paint beautiful pictures and enrapture you with her prose.

Her characterization is also some of the best I have ever seen and this book gets major points for all the hilarious banter. All of our main characters grow in some way or another. Alina is still the reluctant saint that is simply fighting to battle evil and save Ravka. The Darkling is perhaps one of the most fascinating and amazing young adult villains of all time. His havoc and characterization are still unparalleled, though our last few scenes with him were not worthy of his legacy and power. For such a strong character, our last encounters with him were not only disappointing, but also lackluster. All other main characters and even some of the new secondary characters were strong and unique. It's certainly impossible to forget anyone in this series because every character stands apart from one another in their own way.

This book has a love square, I suppose. After reading the rest of the series, it's obvious that there are three contender's for Alina's heart and for quite a while, it's hard to figure out who she will end up with. While I had my specific ship, I could respect all three potential suitors because they were as different as three men could be. If there was even a small similarity between these men, this love whatever-you-want-to-call-it would not have been so successful, but in the end the only thing that these three men had in common were their admiration and love for Alina. With that in mind, I have to say that the person she ended up being with and the reasoning behind it was perhaps one of the biggest literary cop-out's ever. She had so many options and I can respect her for choosing one without stringing others along, but the reasoning behind her choice makes me shake with anger because of how I can use prior books to discount certain things. I was so heavily invested in her and her romance regardless of whether my ship was chosen or not, but the romantic resolution was extremely lacking.

Furthermore, I feel as if this book was predictable. Typically, this is a word I would not associate with Bardugo because when is Bardugo ever predictable? Books one and two constantly surprised me, but book three almost felt as if it mirrored its predecessors in general plot structure, but lacked in the detail they had. Things fell too conveniently into their laps. Many bad things happened, yes, but what's the point of having bad things happen when literally almost all bad things get resolved easily with a flick of a wrist? If characters die, they should stay dead. If they lose someone or something, some weird little form of redemption comes out of the wood-works. Events came out of nowhere and, at times, the explanations for potentially monumental moments were throwaways that didn't make much sense or didn't fully answer our questions. I kept reading out of curiosity, but my desire to be wowed slowly diminished every time I encountered an instance such as this...which actually happened often.

And, of course, there is the final battle. It wasn't what I wanted it to be. It didn't seem grand or powerful. Again, a lack of detail. There was way too many miracles and too many wrongs being undone out of nowhere. While lives were lost, the carnage wasn't what I expected of the Darkling. Really, I just wasn't wowed. This lack of true interest was continued in the epilogue of the book. While somewhat adorable and almost fairytale-like in the way it is written, I can't say it made me any happier with Alina's final decisions. While I can see why Bardugo chose this specific ending for Alina and her love interest, it doesn't change the fact that it was a lukewarm ending to a simply satisfying read.

While many people will hail this as an amazing novel, I can only say it wasn't for me. My expectations for this one were high, and perhaps that contributed to my utter disappointment after completing the novel. The bigger they are in your mind, the harder their fall is, right?

In the end, this book is definitely worth reading. It wraps things up. Whether you like how the book wraps things up is an entirely different situation. I know people who both hated and loved this one. Truly polarizing, it is worth the reading though I caution readers to check themselves and go in with realistic expectations. Perhaps your reading experience can be more enjoyable than mine was then. Either way, I will read anything Bardugo writes, but I will be a bit more cautious when beginning future reads.

I'm so sick of the love triangles in YA where the girl goes for the safe friend choice. Mal was safe, boring, and I felt no spark to Alina and Mal. It feels like Mal just gets dragged around in the three books and I wanted him to go away. Aleksander and Alina were a much better couple and I wish there were more romantic scenes with them. The Darkling was missing from book 2 and book 3 was no better.

If I read another book where some unromantic friend guy sticks around a woman for 600+ pages, I'm immediately closing.

Aleksander was the only character that made this book shine. Alina whines too much and I wanted to punch her in the face.

I can't believe it's over.

My heart is all kinds of torn up right now, but in a bittersweet way. I'm going to miss Alina, Mal, the Darkling, Nikolai, and so many others. What a gut-wrenching, seductive trilogy.

Ruin and Rising is such a phenomenal end to the Grisha trilogy. I'm in love with this wonderful, dangerous, magnificent world that Bardugo has created. Each character is beautifully developed and more than once, I found myself crying or laughing out loud in public, sometimes both. She'll wrap you up in an adventure like no other, and leaves you begging for more.

Anything you write Leigh Bardugo, I will read.

Here's how I stand with this series: first book loved, 5 stars; second book spent a lot of time setting up for third book but loved the addition of Sturmhond, 4 stars; this book just didn't capture me as much. I figured what my problem was, I like when Alina and the Darkling are interacting and they spent too much time apart in the second two books of the series which left me bored. I don't care if the Darkling and Alina are seeing each other in dreams or living together or he has her captive, their relationship is the most fascinating interaction in this series. Yes, the parts with Mal are sweet but that's expected. I was never sure what would happen the next time Alina and the Darkling met up so I couldn't wait for it to happen. This story took about 250 pages just to get to the good start of the end of everything.

Alina the Sun Summoner and Mal the tracker are good, likable characters, but my favorite is the Darkling. Beautiful, mysterious, powerful, ruthless. Yet still a boy who loved his mother. Still loyal to his people, his own kind, his country. Misguided, but faithful to his goals of a united Ravka.

I enjoyed this book enough that I can easily give it four stars (minus one for atrociously laughable usage of Russian or Russian-esque common and proper names). Great pacing, good story, loved the character development, even Mal grew on me somewhat, despite me definitely not being his fan before. And Nikolai... I really had hoped for more 'page time' with him even though all the scenes he'd been in were drenched in awesome.
But the 'Russian aspect'... don't even get me started on that. It has to do with Russia about as much as Shrek has to do with ballerina. Just a smattering of few Russian sounding words here and there, and not one of them actually meaning what it means.

A couple of minor spoilers ahead, though they are strictly linguistically-related (read at your own risk).

I'm not going to mention the infamous "Ana Kuya" or any of the other already thoroughly described blunders but.. A fleet commander called "Hello" (Privyet)? King of Slaughter (come again, what did you call my sweetie Nikolai)??? (yes, that's exactly what "Korol rezni" translates to, not King of Scars). Mother of God, how hard it would be to find someone who actually knows Russian to check at least the proper names? I can promise you any Russian speaker who reads this will be either facepalming in mute disbelief or ROTFLing for all the wrong reasons (I did both).
Perhaps Leigh Bardugo should write a book on 'How not to do research for writing fiction' or some such (As a compensation for my permanently scarred mind, I demand a spin-off with Nikolai as the protagonist).

Very solid third book with a satisfying, though I of course sad, ending.
This was a very enjoyable series, not trite nor predictable as much YA fantasy can be. I feel the author respects her readers and their intelligence, and came up with intriguing ideas and a great story. I want more!

Ruin and Rising was one giant rollercoaster of emotions! There were so many revelations and plot twists, I actually feel exhausted from reading this book. After the cliffhanger in Siege and Storm, I was anxious to see what happened next. Though I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending, this book was definitely INSANE and this trilogy is still one of my absolute favorites of all time!

Something about this trilogy, from the very first book, just gripped me. I read a lot, and a lot of YA, and I can't entirely put my finger on why exactly that was. The characterizations have been excellent, the world richly painted, the storyline fast moving and interesting. In the end, though, whatever that inexplicable something has been, it left me eagerly anticipating this book for almost a year and reading it the day it came out.

Ruin and Rising picks up where Siege and Storm left off, and for the purposes of remaining spoiler free I won't go into any plot details. Suffice to say that Alina goes on an incredible series of adventures, interacting with Mal, Nikolai, and the Darkling - and a whole cast of supporting (and new!) characters - along the way. The fascinating and intricate relationship Alina has with the Darkling is further explored, as are her feelings for both Mal and Nikolai, in realistic, decidedly un-cliched or sappy ways. As always, the dialogue is snappy, the emotional weight of every action considered, and the relationships well thought out.

As for the ending, I think everyone who's read a reasonable amount of YA trilogies has an easy recall of disastrous third books. Endings are hard to do well, but it's here that I was most pleased with Bardugo's storytelling. As in any war, some things are lost, and I'm not ashamed to say that I cried at several points as the book wound down. But the novel ultimately finishes in a satisfying conclusion that feels both realistic and earned. The storylines we've interacted with over the trilogy are all brought to a close without feeling overly done; this is the best done ending I've seen in a trilogy in a while.

Sometimes, fiction is special. I'm sure the series hasn't been that way for everyone, but for me these books carried an unexpected weight and emotional resonance that left me thinking about them for a long time. If you read the first two books, snap this one up, clear your day, and settle in.

This is not a book I would normally have picked to read but wanting to know what my children are reading was my motivation for reading it.
This series is a great story of friendships, love, honor, and self sacrifice! The storyline sucks you in...leaving you wanting to know more of how the story will unfold!!

This book had me until the ending. It was five stars all the way, then it ended and a whole star got knocked off. I won’t go into much detail about why because that would give spoilers away. It wasn’t that it ended badly, I just felt as though there could’ve been more and I didn’t agree with some of the things that happened. That said, the story was still gripping. I still enjoyed the characters, and the world building continued to be just as phenomenal.

This story wrapped me up tightly. Loved each one of the characters. I will miss the greatly. ?????❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ what an extraordinary world of The Grishas. Highly recommend these books. Now of to read six of crows.

I have no words.
This was an amazing conclusion. But it was more than just a conclusion.
This story was beautiful in itself, not only as a conclusion to an already great story.
I think this might be my favorite of the trilogy.

Definitely recommend it :)

End of a beautiful story...sigh! a fight between good and evil, between light and darkness. Power corrupts even the best of people and it's important to hold on to your humanity. What Alina and Mal share is more than simple love...they have grown up together, they have stories and they are different enough to make each other complete.

This series is now among my very very favorites. It has it all. Love, friendship, character growth, mystery, fantasy, and even empathy for the bad guy. It was all so so so good. Read this book ASAP!!!

I'm not going to give away any plot points. I just want to say that it's hard to write a book, it's harder to write a great book, and it's a thing of beauty to write a great trilogy. The third book in the Grisha series delivers the goods and then some. Bardugo's masterful, steady elevation of stakes and emotional investment boils her readers like the proverbial frog in a pot. Her wicked, subtle sense of humor and irony, which made books 1 & 2 so delectable, remains strong in this book, woven through her storytelling and Alina's honest observations. It gives the whole Grisha series a satisfying appeal that I don't think Bardugo gets nearly enough credit for.

I hate myself for hating this book. I love Bardugo's writing, her characters, everything about her books-until I read Ruin and Rising.
I went into this book really without any expectations other than a close to a trilogy. Shadow and Bone blew me away with the world building and the characters you couldn't get out of your head. Siege and Storm was the same, amazing. So, what went wrong with the third book, I would love to ask the author.
I felt like I wasn't reading the same author at all. I felt like someone with no depth wrote this and put Miss Bardugo's name on it. That's how it felt. The characters...changed, and not in a good way. The feel for the book was not magical or doomed or anything like the other two. The plot was so weak and predictable and so utterly pointless. (SPOILER ALERT): We see Alina change into a power-hungry girl as I expected and wanted to love her depth, but there was no depth. She lets the one person she-supposedly-loves most in the world die at her own hand and then, when he is magically brought back to life, they marry. WHAT?!?! WHAT?!?! I just don't get it. I don't get the plot or the characters or what eve drove this book forward because...nothing really happens except that our doomed star-crossed lovers marry in the end and our villain dies the most undignified death possible.
These characters, in my opinion, deserved better than this. They deserved plot and depth and emotions and so much more than they got. I wanted a death that made me feel something, I wanted a love that made me root for the lovers, a fight worth fighting for, and I didn't get it. I just didn't get it. I don't understand how someone who wrote the first two books could have possibly written this book.
Now that I'm done ranting, I will say this: you may love this book. The trilogy was my favorite until this book and I really, really recommend it, despite the failure that was Ruin and Rising. I plan on reading Leigh Bardugo's future works, should she continue to write, and I have high hopes for her. She is much better than this book gives shows, I promise!

I was satisfied with the ending of the trilogy and was only sad that it was over. I liked the changing relationships between characters and never felt absolutely sure who Alina would end up with. But I'm happy about it. Can't wait to read Six of Crows soon.

I found it very clever the way seemingly minor details in this story ended up being significant to later events. Full of action, book 3 tied it all up in ways I would not have imagined. Great series!

I wasn't sure I would like this series, but once I started Shadow and Bone, I couldn't put it down! I read it in one day and flew through the rest of the series. I was very pleased to how the series ended even though I did have a few laughs and shed a few tears along the way. This was an excellent book and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys fantasy and a little romance. I can confidently say that the series has made its way into my heart and onto my favorite series list!

This trilogy is super good! Well written, interesting characters, good plot. There are themes of good and evil, religion, folklore, love and deception. Even though it's a young adult book, I enjoyed it immensely, and I'm way outside the age range! The first two books are Shadow and Bone, and Siege and Storm.

Ruin & Rising. The end of a beautiful trilogy. The world that Leigh Bardugo has created is stunning, magical and Is just pure brilliance. I am not ashamed to say that I was Team Darkling until the very end, and the ending certainly had me in tears. I have indeed been ruined.

Mesmerized by the third book in the Grisha Trilogy. So many challenges that Alina faces. The Darkling is a formidable and compelling villain, and yet there is some compassion built for him in the telling of the story. What a great ending to an excellent and well written series. I look forward to seeing what Leigh Bardugo created next.

I honestly don't know where to begin. I think I will start with the dissension most readers have had while reading the ending to this trilogy.

The romance(s): It's always a risky move as a writer to paint a character as a likeable villain, and even riskier to make that character a possible love interest for the main character. The Darkling is an extremely enigmatic character that draws on the trope of being a sexy bad boy. This is what draws Alina to him, as well as their "unique" existence. Many readers root for him but Bardugo has never made him THE LEAD romance partner for Alina.

Another male interests is obviously Nikolai. He is likeable to the readers because Alina sees him as this witty, dashing, fashionable guy who could potentially be a husband to be as an arranged marriage for Ravka. While the Darkling is her equal in ability and uniqueness, Nikolai is her equal in politics. It seems RIGHT for readers to see them together, in order to help rebuild Ravka once the adventure is all over. But again, we know Bardugo never intended him to be Alina's choice.

Mal is woven to be Alina's partner. He doesn't have the power ability or the political power that the other two love interests, but he is the ONLY one that grounds Alina to her past. They have a bond the other two will never have because it's organic. It happened outside the realms of these complex spheres of the world of Ravka. I don't want to spoil anything but there was only ever one TRUE choice for Alina.

The development of these three men in relation to Alina was deep and multi-dimensional. Bardugo allowed the readers to see these three options as viable choices. But in the end, she goes with the one that makes sense. However because of the other two choices being just as enticing, most readers feel cheated out. I think that's what makes this book special. You see the twists of all four of these individuals, and the potential romances are not cookie-cutter. Bardugo took a risk with this part of the book, and I believe it paid off. You may not have wanted it to happen the way it did, but it was a logical ending.

Plot: I feel like this book had the best pace out of the three. None of it felt forced or like it dragged. It had the right of back story, action, and scenes that progressed the story. There was a perfect balance between it all.

Character Development: Bardugo stroke home with this element of the book. She fleshed out ALL her characters and you see the changes all of them have made since the first book. Every sine character is different than they once were, and that is amazing. It's hard to juggle so many characters and see them progress. Bardugo takes her time on All of her characters, and you see all of these different character stories woven to perfection. Again none of it seems forced, and all of it feels "right" and "logical".

Conclusion: It made sense. It had a major twist and Bardugo reveals that we already were given prior knowledge that resulted in this ending. Some people have complained that the evidence in the prior books was not "enough" to explain the plot twist at the end (pertaining to the amplifier story). But it really was. She gave just the right about of information during certain scenes to help see how she arrived to the conclusion that she did. People believe that author's should provide clues where you could foreshadow things, but if it were that easy to guess a major plot twist, where is the fun in that? Bardugo reveals the important information that we've been given in the past, and instead of us seeing it as predictable, we see the whole picture and see how it all just "clicks". (At least it was that way for me.

Bardugo ties up all of her loose ends. And it's a fact that she is not DONE with Ravka. Her next book will be within a country that's part of her world, but will involve different characters, but with the potential of some Grisha cameos? I'm hoping. This book was amazing. I give it five stars.

I truly enjoyed the author's writing style. There was a sense of haunted poetry woven into her words. The fact that her world drew from Russian/Slavic roots truly fit with her writing style; I'd always thought there was an underlying grief to all the older folklore originating from that area of the world.

Leigh Bardugo’s writing has grown and become better as the series has progressed. The dialog between the characters is brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the book. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this series.

Fantastic ending to wonderful trilogy. Was nervous this book would fall into the "third book" problem that so many other recent series have suffered from. The writing just got stronger!! I don't want to spoil it, but fans of Alina, Mal and the Darkling won't be disappointed.

Reading Ruin and Rising was like, after blowing up a baloon of expectation with the first two books Bardugo suddenly releases it and all the air escapes leaving a flacid rubbery thing on the floor. The plot twist was absurd and the conclusion unworthy of the characters she created.