Review: Ruin and Rising

Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone #3)
by Leigh Bardugo
YA Fantasy
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

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.

Review:

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!