Book Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #3) by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

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.

Ruin and Riding of the last book in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I have to say, The Darkling is one of the best villains I’ve read about in a while.. maybe ever. He’s got so many layers. Not all bad, but still overwhelmingly bad. He was interesting too, and a villain really needs to be interesting to carry a story. He did so in this trilogy. Of course, I enjoyed Alina and all the characters. There was a large cast, and they all had important roles. They had meaning.  I was pleased with how it all played out. I was definitely expecting something different. But, I’m pleased with this conclusion.

 

Check out the previous books in this trilogy! 

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more.  Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University. 

To learn more about Leigh Bardugo and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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