Book Review #4: Siege and Storm

"You were a strange, Alina. Beautiful," he
said. "Terrible." This book is no stranger
to me, but I may as well wish it was so
I can read it all over again.

"I've seen what you truly are...and I've never turned away. I never will. Can he say the same?" 

I will now attempt to contain my excitement and - ahem, fangirlyness - in order to keep this professional. And classy. This is a book review after all.

I regret none of the past hour or two I've spent reading this book, this beautiful digital copy I managed to pull from the depths of the vast internet ocean. Just like its predecessor, Siege and Storm lived past my expectations. I was afraid that it would fall in the sequel pitfall of death, but no worries - it amazed me through and through and blew me out of the water...or should I say, the sky.

Yes, speaking of the sky, Bardugo has added flying ships. Just a teaser for those of you who want to close this tab right now to avoid the juicy spoilers.

Siege and Storm leaves off a bit after the first book. The standard third person prologue, carried from the first book, gives us a little insight on how Alina and Mal have been doing after escaping the Fold. I expected this to go on for a while, running and hiding from the Darkling (oh, the Darkling!) while meeting new faces, including this "notorious privateer". But no; once the initial calm has been established, Bardugo throws us for a three-sixty and immediately forces us back into the action. Yes, within a first, let's just say, few, chapters, Alina is once again, face to face with the Darkling. I'll stop there to keep the spoilers at a minimum.

World building is once again prevalent, and it is masterfully done. While we are already acquainted with the Grisha and the country of Ravka, Siege and Storm builds upon the intricate layers present. It delves into the political background, the aftermath of the Darkling's rebellion, and most importantly, the myths that drive Alina to darker places. This is what pulls the book away from its prequel and separates it from the Russian culture it is based upon.

Characters. Bardugo does not disappoint in this area. Alina's character development was fantastic. Gone was the vain, little girl who was new to her power and to the world of the Grisha. Now it's a girl who is confident in her abilities and understands the workings around her. But maybe a little too confident.

This book is not about her development into some great and merciful leader. No, this book is about her slow and subtle descent into the world inhabited by the Darkling. You don't see it at first, but its present - a growing obsession and fixation upon power, one that cannot be denied by her and the people around her as the story runs forward. Alina's treading on the same ground her enemy is, and with every step as the Sun Summoner, she is walking farther and farther away from the girl that Mal, or first book readers, know.

Mal, on the other hand, develops a much larger presence than he had in the first book. While it did seem that he was over-the-top paranoid and whiny about his relationship with Alina, he did have a solid reason. The girl he loves is changing, and there's nothing he can do about it. All he wants it to go back to their ordinary life, away from the festivities of the palace and the luxurious lives of the Grisha. He, as well, develops as a character - the childhood friend to the voice that tries to keep Alina out of the path she can no longer return from.

Along with the existing, major characters of the story, Bardugo introduces a new one - Sturmhond. He was a wonderful addition to the book, witty, charismatic (of course he turned out to be a prince). It was a delight to read about him, and he represented a side of the world we had not yet seen before. I won't go into him too much because it would completely ruin his effect. But just so you know, if it wasn't for a certain other character, I would totally ship Alina and Sturmhond.

You may have also now noticed that I have adamantly avoided the topic everyone is probably wondering about. You  may have also noticed that I am about to talk about this topic, and that I may have to pull up a thesaurus because my vocabulary of synonyms for "good" are beginning to run low. Ah yes, it is the section that we talk about...the Darkling. 

Now to disperse any misunderstandings, I will refrain from going on a three paragraph rant about his amazingness. In fact, I will being with my frustration about him. Yes, I am frustrated, because my favorite - and Leigh Bardugo's best - character, is missing for about nine-tenths of the entire book. It was like she expected you to soak up as much Darkling as you could from the first few chapters and live off of it until he returned at the very end, occasionally giving you shots of the character that was mentally begging to be included. Yep, there was a clear lack of Darkling in this book. However! Do not fret, because every time he shows up, you will linger on those pages, reread them three times, before moving on (maybe I'm assuming too much).

Anyway, moving on to better content about the Darkling, he remains as alluring and powerful - if not more so - than the first book. While the book doesn't expand upon the human sides of him - mostly due to the fact that he is missing for the entire middle section - the craft Bardugo has put into him still had me astounded. It is the lack of his presence that I could begin to see Alina's slow spiral into darkness. Every page flip she got closer and closer, and I could see the Darkling that was missing. This contrast makes you realize that the Darkling is not the one Alina should be afraid of the most, but rather, herself.

Siege and Storm is a heartwrencher. The plot is perfectly paced, slow one minute but then rocketing off the next. Just when I thought I recovered from the touching scene of the fantastical ice dragon's death, then came another when Genya is torn between her friendship with Alina and her loyalty to the Darkling. And of course, it is this choice that destroys her in the end.

Yes, I blame Genya for all those broken heartstrings.

To be honest, the only thing that was missing to me was the moment where Alina turns her back on Mal and Sturmhond and Ravka and becomes evil. "Like calls to like," the Darkling states in the book, and I was expecting a flip. Obviously, there is none, but the book quickly managed to curb my disappointment. So much thought and care was point into the story, along with the exquisite details of the fights and foods. The ending had me begging for more, and I will be anticipating the finale to this trilogy next year.

P.S. I believe it is now my goal before the next book comes out to get hard copies of this series.

P. P. S. Second quote for second book in the series...

"We are alike," he said, "as no one else is, as no one else will ever be."

Final Rating: ✐✐✐✐✐