Darkness never dies.
Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can't outrun her past or her destiny for long.
The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling's game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.
The way I read it ~
So after having a full 8-hour sleep session, I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to review.
I'll start off by proclaiming that I LOVE THIS AUTHOR. You know how you get excited to read a book that you know nothing about, that's written by an author you have never heard of? It's a rare type of excitement because sometimes the 'unknown' factor can be daunting. There's the fear that the story will suck, that you'll totally waste your time by reading it, that it won't fulfill some need to soothe or inspire. You cringe at the mere thought of trying it, just 'to see'. I often have that fear but for 2014 my goal is to be fearless. So I'm on a mission to go beyond the safety of reading what I know, to hone my spidey-book sense and to have fun in reading.
Siege and Storm is a gem!
The story began in Shadow and Bone Alina Starkov lead a mundane life, pining for the affection of her best friend Mal, working as a map maker in the Royal army. She was nothing spectacular but had a spectacular power within her that soon came to light (pun intended), brought out when a dark force called the Fold threatened the one she loved. Discovery of that power elevated her in rank and Alina found herself to be a prized possession; wanted by all. Especially by the Darkling, the handsome and mysterious leader of the Grisha. There was lots of drama, tons of intrigue and various successful attempts at misdirection by Ms Leigh Bardugo
Siege and Storm continues with unexpected surprises, dynamic new characters and more twists and turns than I could ever have anticipated.
Alina and Mal are on the run. Two against the world sort of thing. Their relationship in this part, compared to the first, had grown. There was kissing and loving glances. It was sweet. Alina felt torn between what she felt for Mal, what she was beginning to feel about her new power and what she didn't want to feel for the Darkling. I was right there with her in her fears. And the one thing she feared most was the one thing that needed to be done. She needed to go back. It was fate. The consequences of returning to their home and facing the enemy meant that Alina and Mal would have a wedge driven between them. It was agonizing to read her struggle with what was happening.
The ending was definitely worth all the anguish. By time I got to the last chapter I was bouncing in my seat. I was a tangled ball of emotion. I wanted book 3, like pronto! This is what fabulously good writing does. It totally messes with your mind, makes you stay up till 2 am to finish the book, makes you prolong your reading just to let the anticipation have time to fester and build, and build, and build....
I will absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes adventure and loves being delightfully surprised.
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| RATED TOO SWEET: 5 out of 5 Sugar cubes |
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| Reviewed by Leelo |
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