Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha Trilogy, book #3
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 17, 2014
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

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.

I'll try to refrain from spoilers as much as possible, but I may allude to circumstances in previous books, so if you've not yet read them yet, get on that right now!

Likely, if you're reading this review, you've already read this final book and just want to know my thoughts. Or you've begun the series and want to know if you should continue, if the payoff is worth it. It is, my friend. It is. But this also means that you don't really need me to touch on all the things I normally would in a review, like world-building, characterization, romance, and the story's predictability. Right? Okay, well, there are probably a few things I could still add. ;0)

So...Leigh Bardugo is pretty daring with her finale here. Maybe not as daring as others in similar situations, but I think that most of her fan-base will appreciate the bold choices she made in this final book. Characters you've grown to care about die. Innocents die. This is a war Alina is waging, after all. But I think that Bardugo wrote the story that needed to be told, not the one that everyone necessarily wanted to read. And that's not a bad thing. It's honest. It's brutal. And these characters won me over from the very first page of Shadow and Bone, and I'll not disgrace them by disparaging the author or her story because of who may or may not have survived this battle or who may have ended up with who in the end.

I think you can tell by my rating how much I enjoyed this last book in the Grisha Trilogy. It was action-packed and much faster-paced than I was expecting, though much of the beginning came to pass with little effort, all things considered. I have to wonder if that's because I recently re-listened to the previous book in preparation for Ruin and Rising. What I mean is, Alina was quite alone there at the end of Siege and Storm. She had no idea who'd survived the vicious skirmish with the Darkling and his forces and few of her compatriots remained. Even Mal was distant. And yet, it wasn't long before a plan was hatched and Alina was back to being the oft-adored and somewhat feared Sun Summoner. Basically, it seemed as though things turned around pretty quickly for our rag-tag group of rebels.

The characters have all been pretty well fleshed-out at this point, so Bardugo focused primarly on the plot and she did so aggressively. Not that I'm complaining. I love where she took this story and how completely unexpected some of it was. And I mean spit out my drink while I'm reading unpredictable. And that didn't just happen once. One might think that the author wanted me to waste perfectly good kvas while reading her story. And while her bold decisions with this final novel were plenty, shocking, and somewhat unprecedented, I believe they were entirely true to the story she was trying to tell. In other words, I LOVED the shock-factor.

***Serious spoilers in the next few paragraphs but not for THIS book.***

I also really enjoyed where Bardugo took the romance, no matter how many directions and iterations it's been through, though this is probably where I'll differ in opinion among my peers. But I won't mention why unless you ask me in private.

Alina loved Mal for ages. Mal is a bit of a playboy and thinks of Alina as just his best friend. Alina finds out she is Grisha and has a tryst with the Darkling, only to discover just how evil he is and escapes. Mal finds her and they are in love. (I say that in my taunting voice because I never really felt that connection...or liked Mal all that much, to be honest.) End of Book One.

The Darkling finds Mal and Alina together, captures them and throws them on a ship. Because of the amplifier, Alina is tied to the Darkling, feels a pull toward him. Sturmhond, privateer and captain of the ship, mutinies against the Darkling and saves Alina and Mal, gets them back on dry land after helping Alina secure the second amplifier. Sturmhond is not who he says he is, propositions Alina. (I want her to say YES!) Mal thinks himself unworthy of Alina, distances himself from her. The Darkling visits Alina daily through visions, drives her to the brink of madness. Still, she feels the pull to him; he and she are the same, after all. The Darkling attacks, Alina sacrifices herself, and Mal collects what's left of her. Everyone regroups but Sturmhond is not with the group.

And that brings us to where we begin in Ruin and Rising. Mal starts off being his pig-headed self, but circumstances change and he's all about Alina again. Everyone is all about Alina again. Even Zoya, if you can believe that. I kind of love it.

Which reminds me of one of my favorite aspects of this series: the humor. It's such a serious storyline for the most part -- war against the most evil of evils, fighting prejudices against those with magic versus those without -- that I'm always more entertained than I probably should be by the banter and rapport these characters have with each other. That's probably why Sturmhond quickly became my favorite of the potential love interests, his gift for making light of any situation, but it's also the essence of the story: that you have to be able to see the light through all the darkness.

The Grisha Trilogy is easily one of my favorite high fantasy series. Its wonderfully intricate world, reminiscent of old-world Russia and its neighbors, is simply gorgeous to imagine. The characters, with all of their faults, through all of their trials and tribulations, make me want to know them in real life. And the story itself begs for a happy ending. And even if all of the characters didn't find their happy ending, I am completely satisfied with this conclusion. There was so much growth throughout the series, but what really made this series epic was the last 30% or so of this final book. I mean, WOW. I shall now wait impatiently for Leigh Bardugo's next book, which appears to be a story set in the Grisha world but with new characters to love -- and hate, as the case may be. This author definitely knows how to make us do both with her fabulous words. I hope you've enjoyed your time with this series as much as I have.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, raised in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she hides out in Hollywood and indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as makeup artist L.B. Benson.

Her debut novel, Shadow & Bone (Holt Children's/Macmillan) is now a New York Times Best Seller.

Find Leigh:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr

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Labels: all the swoons, favorites, high fantasy, leigh bardugo, macmillan, magic, must-read, reviews, the grisha trilogy

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha, book #2
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Source: ARC borrowed from Jen at YA Romantics, 2nd ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

If I had my way, this is what my review would look like:

Or just lines and lines of this:  Jen + Sturmhond = ♥

I had heard all about this Sturmhond character prior to picking up Siege and Storm, and what I heard left me skeptical.  People were switching teams left and right to ship Alina and this guy.  But...but...but what about The Darkling?  After reading S&S, I'm almost like, "The Darkling, who?"  Oh, he's around...he's always around.  But it's definitely in a much different capacity than it was before.  And then in steps Sturmhond to set Alina on the right path, or at least, his preferred path for her.  ;0)

It's no secret that I wasn't a fan of Mal in Shadow and Bone.  I was all about the Darkling and his enticing, evil ways.  But in Siege and Storm, I found Mal even more obnoxious than before.  He never seemed concerned with what Alina was feeling or what she wanted, only ever thinking of himself and how things affected him.  Listen up, pal...this isn't The Mal Show.  Even still, if these two were better at communicating, I might see a future for them, but with all of the other attractive male counterparts involved, I'm doubtful.  Especially because Mal would like nothing more than for Alina to stop using her powers and live a simple life with him, even though it makes her weak and sick to do so.  Her gift makes her stronger, and I think he's intimidated by that, and ultimately, by her.

The Darkling on the other hand, wants Alina to use her powers.  However malevolent the Darkling may be, he believes he's doing what's right.  He wants Alina for himself, but he also wants her to help him with his heretofore nefarious plans.  There is a bond between Alina and the Darkling, one that is not easily severed or overlooked, and he's probably the only person who truly understands what Alina's enduring.  He was, afterall, the most powerful Grisha prior to the realization that Alina was the Sun Summoner.  The Darkling knows a little something about wielding an obscene amount of power.

tagged proof of highly
engaging banter

Sturmhond was -- and still is, if I'm being entirely honest -- a bit of an enigma.  As a privateer (read:  pirate, since it's very doubtful his actions were sanctioned by the king, *wink*), where do his loyalties really lie?  Will Alina ever be able to fully trust him?  Do we really care when he provides such swoon-worthy banter?  This character -- and he IS a character -- oozes personality and sophistication, and I still would have enjoyed the book without his inclusion, but oh, I enjoyed it so much more because of him.

Alina, for the most part, is just as tortured and confused as we left her in Shadow and Bone.  Maybe more so.  Especially after certain truths were discovered in the Istorii Sankt'ya, and she's left with some difficult decisions.  Her problem, though, is that she shoulders the burden all on her own.  Alina doesn't confide in Mal because she fears she might be losing her mind, which is even more reason to ask for help, but there it is.  And so Alina continues trying to prepare for a war that none of them are ready for, most especially her.

I love fantasy best because it's so unpredictable and magical and full of possibility.  I love the Grisha series so much because the writing encompasses everything I adore in a fantasy novel:  a realm unlike anything I've ever read, dialogue (especially the banter!) that keeps me entertained and makes me forget I'm even reading, and a quest that is at once impossible but also manageable...with the right comrades.  I simply can't get enough of this world and its characters...the wait for Ruin and Rising is going to be absolute torture!

High fantasy.  High stakes.  Highly entertaining.  And I highly recommend both Shadow and Bone (which just released in paperback) and Siege and Storm, which releases on June 4th.  And not just for lovers of fantasy...but for anyone who loves to be transported to a world where magic exists and the struggle between good and evil starts from within.

Rating:  


***Big, huge, monster-sized thanks to Jen at YA Romantics for letting me be the first to read her ARC.  I know what that must have meant to her, especially once I received my own ARC.  =)  But also, I wanted to say that it was fated that I should meet and fall for Sturmhond.  I mean, at one point, I had two times the Sturmy in my possession and I was so giddy with the power of it all.  Wonder if this is what Alina feels like with that amplifier on her neck...***

Some of that amusing banter I was telling you about:

     "The Darkling will hunt you for the rest of your days."
     "Well, then we'll have something in common, won't we?  Besides, I like to have powerful enemies.  Makes me feel important."

     "Next time you try something like that, I won't kick you,"  I said furiously.  "I'll cut you in half."
     He brushed a speck of lint from his trousers.  "Not sure that would be wise.  I'm afraid the people rather frown on regicide."
     "You're not king yet, Sobachka," I said sharply.  "So don't tempt me."
     "I don't see why you're so upset.  The crowd loved it."
     "I didn't love it."
     He raised a brow.  "You didn't hate it."

     "Excellent," said [Sturmhond].  "I've come to issue an invitation."
     "Is it to a ball?" asked Mal, snagging the remaining bit of roll from my plate.  "I do so hope it's to a ball."
     "While I'm sure you dance a magnificent waltz, no.  Boar have been spotted in the woods near Balakirev.  There's a hunt leaving tomorrow, and I'd like you to go."

     [Sturmhond] froze.  "I..."  For once, words seemed to have deserted him.  Then a crooked, embarrassed smile crept across his face.  It was a far cry from his usual self-assured grin.  "Thank you," he said.
     I sighed and we resumed our pace.  "You're going to be insufferable now, aren't you?"
     [Sturmhond] laughed.  "I'm already insufferable."

About the author:

Photo by Kevin Rolly

Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she lives in Hollywood, where she indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as makeup artist L.B. Benson. Occasionally, she can be heard singing with her band, Captain Automatic.

Her debut novel, Shadow & Bone (Holt Children’s/ Macmillan), is a New York Times Best Seller and the first book in the Grisha Trilogy. Book 2, Siege and Storm, will be published in 2013. She is represented by Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of New Leaf.

Find Leigh:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr

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Labels: book trailers, favorites, high fantasy, leigh bardugo, macmillan, must-read, reviews, the grisha trilogy

Teaser Tuesday #52: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser(s) comes from the following book(s):

Title: Siege and Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha, book #2
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Source: ARC borrowed from Jen at YA Romantics
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

My teaser:

     Mal frowned. "No, they sounded pretty much like they always do. Like monsters who want to eat us." He laid his hand over mine. "What happened, Alina?"
     I saw him. "I told you: I was tired. I lost focus."
     He drew back. "If you want to lie to me, go ahead. But I'm not going to pretend to believe you."
     "Why not?" asked Sturmhond, stepping into the tent. "It's only common courtesy."

-- p. 147 of ARC

Yep. I cheated again this week, but I'm not sorry. Not. At. All.  =)  You have no idea how happy I am to be back in this world, meeting all these new characters.  So much fun!

If you want a really good tease before the book releases on June 4th, you can download the first five chapters for your Kindle or Nook...for FREE!!!

What are you teasing this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so I can visit!

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Labels: favorites, high fantasy, leigh bardugo, macmillan, magic, must-read, teaser tuesday, the grisha trilogy

Short Story Sunday #5: The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo & Neverfall by Brodi Ashton

Short stories are awesome.  They give us in-depth insight into characters, providing anecdotal proof of why some characters are they way they are.  They entertain by creating a certain mood or focusing on a singular effect...some instance in a previous body of work (or one to follow) that might have been glossed over or ignored completely in a longer novel. 

And so, every Sunday for the foreseeable future, I would like to highlight short stories and novellas set in worlds I've already come to love and learn a little more about some of the secondary characters in my favorite novels.  I'll be underscoring some of my favorite aspects of these short works of fiction, in addition to offering up a mini review of each work.

Missed last week's post (again) so I'm featuring two separate but equally awesome short stories this week:

Title: The Witch of Duva
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha, book #0.5 (prequel/folk tale)
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Source: read online for free at Tor.com
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

There was a time when the woods near Duva ate girls… or so the story goes. But it’s just possible that the danger may be a little bit closer to home. This story is a companion folk tale to Leigh Bardugo’s debut novel, Shadow and Bone.

This short story set in the Grisha world is a Hansel & Gretel retelling that is equal parts dark and creepy and terribly enthralling.  It's been a while since I read Shadow and Bone so I can't really comment on how this short ties into that storyline without going back for a re-read -- which I will totally be doing soon in preparation for Siege and Storm -- but as a re-imagining of the old Hansel & Gretel fairy tale, it is fantastic.

The Witch of Duva isn't what I expected at all.  I was continuously surprised and completely flabbergasted by the turn the story took, but I also really enjoyed the realizations I was left with concerning character motivations and discerning true danger from that which is perceived.

I loved Leigh Bardugo's writing in Shadow and Bone and I once again found myself fascinated and utterly captivated with it in this short story.  And now I'm kind of hoping that she'll write a book featuring only her versions of folk tales...her spin on this one was incredible!

Rating:  

Title: Neverfall
Author: Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath, book #1.5 (Cole's POV)
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: December 26, 2012
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A thrilling new novella from the author of the Everneath series!

Jack is trapped for eternity in the Tunnels while Nikki has managed to evade Cole's grasp . . . for now. But Cole is more desperate than ever to find answers about Nikki, his best chance for taking over the throne of the underworld. How did she survive the Feed? Can Cole find another Forfeit like her who can survive it too?

Cole's quest leads him to the other side of the world, to a mysterious, dangerous society known as the Delphinians, whose price for information might be higher than Cole can pay—a price that could destroy Nikki. But when Cole attempts to steal the answers instead, his mission ends in disaster. Faced with centuries in a Delphinian dungeon, Cole is confronted with questions he's been too scared to ask himself: Is he really obsessed with the throne—or is he obsessed with Nikki? And can she really give him a new beginning as the Everneath's king . . . or will she instead bring about his tragic end?

So, pretty much the only reason I've been putting off reading my ARC of Everbound is because I was waiting to read this novella from Cole's point-of-view.  Well, that and my reading buddy Em will kill me if I start it without her.  =)  I knew it probably wouldn't add that much to the story, but doesn't every girl want to get inside of the guy's head and find out what he's really thinking?  I know I was curious!

This short story mostly focuses on Cole's unwillingness to admit to himself that it's not just his need to find another Forfeit like Nikki that fuels his obsession with her...it's also his desire for Nikki to be his and his alone that stokes the flames of his passion for ruling the Everneath.  After awhile, it almost seems like he doesn't even care about the throne, so much as making Nikki his.  He even gets himself into a spot of trouble because of it.  I liked seeing the inner-workings of this Everliving's mind, and because of that aforementioned trouble, there's plenty of time to figure out how Cole thinks and what he most desires.

As in the first book, there are portions of the story told in the present and those are interspersed with flashbacks to before the last Feed and a few memories from the six months after.  So, not only do we get to dig a little deeper into what makes Cole tick, but we also get to see key moments from Everneath from his perspective and see what hand he really had in the final outcome.  I have to say that I was more than a little surprised...I actually still held out hope that he orchestrated the entire ordeal, but I could still be further shocked because at less than 100 pages, it's hard to get the full picture.  That just means it's time to pick up Everbound!!!  :D

Rating:  

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Labels: brodi ashton, everneath, fairy tales, harper-collins, leigh bardugo, macmillan, novellas, retellings, reviews, short story sunday, the grisha trilogy, tor teen

Judging a Book By Its Cover #7: A Kid's Perspective on Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Okay, so I totally stole this idea from Sara at Forever 17 Books, who got the idea from an article on Babble called Judging a Book by Its Cover: A 6-year-old Guesses What Classic Novels Are All About.  I just discovered her lovely segment, and I immediately requested forced my own four-year-old daughter Katie to provide me with some of her own cover art artwork and then asked her what she thought the book was about.



This week, Katie picked one of my favorite 2012 debuts in fantasy:

Katie's thoughts on Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo:  "Someone's locked out of their house."

Cover Art by Katie

Shadow and Bone as envisioned by Katie

Shadow and Bone was one of the best fantasy novels I read this year, and then I read the companion short story The Witch of Duva recently and fell in love with that dark, surprising world all over again.

Katie actually picked this book off of the shelf and asked to recreate it, which isn't all that surprising considering past covers...she likes them dark and mysterious, I guess.  But I'm still hoping we can pick something less so for next week's post.  Either way, I kind of love her response this week.  =)

So, what do you think of Katie's attempt at recreating this cover and her summary? Did your little darling create a work of art based on a book this week? If so, be sure to link up with Sara over at Forever 17 Books.

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Labels: cover art, fantasy, judging a book by its cover, katiebug, leigh bardugo, the grisha trilogy

Waiting on Wednesday: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...

Title: Siege and Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha, book #2
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 4, 2013

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.

Why I'm waiting:  Have you read Shadow and Bone yet?  Apparently not, or you wouldn't be wondering why I'm waiting. :P  I kid. I kid.  Seriously, though, before I read Shadow and Bone, I hadn't heard much about it.  The cover on my ARC was even different than the finished copy, and the ARC's cover gave nothing away.  I like going into a book like that.  You know what I like even more, though?  Loving a book and knowing big things are coming in its sequel.  Troubled times are ahead for Alina and somehow I just know the Darkling is going to make things even more difficult for her.  I can't wait!!!

In the meantime, I'll be reading The Witch of Duva, a short story from Leigh Bardugo set in the same world, as part of my Short Story Sunday series.  Be sure to stop by this weekend to check out my review of that novella and see how I think it fits with the series thus far.

What are you waiting on this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so I can stop by!

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Labels: fantasy, favorites, leigh bardugo, macmillan, the grisha trilogy, waiting on wednesday (wow)

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  Shadow and Bone
Author:  Leigh Bardugo
Series:  1st book in The Grisha Trilogy
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date:  June 5, 2012
Source:  ARC from publisher

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

When I picked up a copy of Shadow and Bone at ALA in January, I hadn’t the slightest inkling how much hype it would receive in the coming months.  Once I did begin to hear whispers about how fabulous this book was, I was scared that it would be over-hyped as books so often are, and that I would walk away from the book, frustrated that it had not wowed me in the least bit.  Two things I must get through my thick skull:  1)  stop judging books by their covers because a pretty cover does not a pretty story make, and 2)  let a book speak for itself, meaning stop listening to the rumors of awesomeness and reading the reviews that deem books unworthy.

In this particular case, the hype was justified.  I read the book in about two days, though I could have sat and read it cover to cover if I’d had the opportunity.  I was so swept away by this story, so engrossed in it, that I couldn’t even be bothered to take notes.  But I personally think you should go into this story with low expectations so that you, too, can be completely blown away.  It’s equal parts fantasy, romance, magic and destruction, and it’s 100% awesome.

Let’s start with the characters first, shall we?  After all, they were what initially caught me off guard and continued to surprise me throughout the entirety of the novel.  Of course, I have to make the obligatory mention of the handsome and powerful antagonist who shows just enough kindness to make me fall for him.  This evil character is common enough, but the Darkling fits this description to a tee, much like Warner in Shatter Me.  There’s just something about a bad guy who wants to exploit the beautiful, naïve protagonist but also has a soft spot for her.  Even better when said protagonist is conflicted and MIGHT actually be falling for our villain.  But Alina isn’t quite as naïve as she appears.  She may have stumbled upon a hidden power, one she’s not yet sure how to control, but having grown up in an orphanage, she’s learned not to take everything at face value.  Alina’s had a hard life, and it just keeps getting harder.

Alina does have one close confidant, one person she trusts more than anyone or anything:  her fellow orphan and best friend, Mal.  This guy takes the cake.  He’s seen Alina through a lot, but when she needs him most, Mal seems to have found greener pastures.  While she’s toiling away as a less-than-average mapmaker, Mal is proving himself a worthy tracker, rising in the ranks of the army.  And he’s taken notice of a Grisha, completely oblivious to how Alina feels about him.  I wanted to deck this guy for a good part of the book, but he does redeem himself later, so I’ll let it slide.

The world-building in this novel was incredible.  Even without the help of the map you see below, I was able to accurately picture the layout of the land.  The Fold is exactly as I imagined it, and I couldn’t imagine a more terrifying place.  Devoid of light and inhabited by deadly creatures that would tear a man to shreds, attempting to cross means imminent death.

This novel is a debut, but you wouldn’t know that from the writing.  The words are powerful and thoughtful and they weave a story that stretches the boundaries of one’s imagination.  Despite the horrors in the novel, I found myself wanting to be transported to the world between the covers, to experience every hardship right along with Alina.  Maybe if the story had been more predictable, I wouldn’t have wished for that, but not knowing where this book was headed made for an exhilarating ride, one which I expect I shall be hopping on again and again.

Rating:  1/2

Book-A-Likes:  Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Eon by Alison Goodman

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