Book Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Something weird about me is that I don't like reading books back-to-back. I usually like to savor the story. However, the first book in this trilogy, Shadow and Bone, was phenomenal so I had to pick this up.

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.

These covers for this series are so beautiful. They're perfect for the setting, the scene of the story, without being cheesy. They're simply, yet intricate. This cover could have gone horrible wrong, but I think they're a job well-done.

Just to jump right into, I hated Mal a lot in this book. Not only does he have a girl's name, but he also acts like a girl. He's whiny, over-protective, and weird, typical of any "swoon-worthy teen romance". 

Ugh. I, sigh, think that, sigh, there's no hope for Darkling fans at this point. THINK OF THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT THAT COULD'VE HAPPENED! AHH! It didn't. As usual.

For a sequel, I felt like this was just average. Compared to how enrapturing the first book was, this book was normal in comparison, which made me sad. I had much higher hopes. The originality of the plot was wonderful, but I wished things had gone differently. I felt like the plot was kind of absent. They just ran around and yelled.

I did like how some scenes were laid out, though. Whenever she wasn't mackin' with Mal, there was a scene were Sankta Alina was said over and over. The image that I got in my mind was something like the stag scene from book 1- very beautiful and flowing. Like I was completely just there with her. 

I feel like this was a really good read, I just wasn't there to read it or something. I think I will have to read it again to get the full idea. I can't wait for the third book to come out, though! The ending of this book was really strong and action-packed. I highly enjoyed the climax.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars (good but something was missing)

Over and out,

Nerdalicious