The Grisha Tale Continues With Romance and Adventure
Like most middle books in a trilogy, Leigh Bardugo’s Siege and Storm (The Grisha Book 2) takes many downward turns, and the adventure continues with unsolved mysteries and plenty of action and romance.
The second book in a Trilogy is a tricky juggling act because the story can’t end and so the book really can’t end either. I have a friend who has two sections of his library; one shelf he calls “The Walk of Fame” and the other “The Walk of Shame.” There is a book he loves on the Walk of Frame shelf and the second book in the trilogy is on the Walk of Shame shelf. Rarely does the second in a Trilogy live up to the hype of the first.
In Siege and Storm, Bardugo does an okay job with her middle book. I did have all three books when I read the series, so I didn’t have to wait for book three. I started book three immediate. That says something.
Amazon’s Blurb
“Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.
“The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.
“But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice, and only she can face the oncoming storm.”
My Response
I’m trying not to give too much away.
Of the three books, I had more problems with Alina and Mel in this book. She does come under the Darkling’s power, and I had to remind myself of that as I read. She takes actions that are questionable and reckless. Many seem to be choices rather than “under the thrall of” dark magic.
Mel becomes pouty, moody, and acts out more than I could buy. His actions didn’t reflect what I knew of him from the first book.
What I loved is the beginning and end of the book are action-packed, fast-paced page-turners. Those sections carry the book. The saggy middle could have been tightened. For me, there is too much back and forth romance troubles that didn’t move the romance or the plot forward and detracted from the story.
That said, we meet a pirate, who is a rake, unpredictable, and out for himself. Yay. He stole the show with personality and likableness. We also are introduced Ravkan Prince Nikolai, and he’s a different kind of delightful. Can we trust him? Who knows? Can he be charming? Yes. He’s on my like list too.
FYI: If you’ve read the book, I’m going for as few spoilers as possible.
Just for Fun
Bardugo has a great website. If you love her books, there’s plenty of fun stuff there.
There’s also a Grishaverse wikia site that’s worthwhile checking out.
Other Reviews You Might Like
The Grisha Trilogy:
Book Review of Shadow and Bone(Grisha Book 1)
Book Review of Ruin and Rising (Grisha Book 3)
The Crows (Set in the same world):
Review of Six of Crows
Review of Crooked Kingdom
The Usual Reminders
You might like my review of the first book, Shadow and Bone.
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