Leigh Bardugo – Siege and Storm

“A heady blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure.”

SPOILER ALERT!

I read Siege and Storm almost immediately after finishing the first book, Shadow and Bone and it turned out to be as exciting and unputdownable as the first of the Grisha Trilogy. Book 1 saw Alina and Mal disappear into the Fold, which has now grown thanks to the Darkling’s wickedness.

There’s some real relationship growing in this book and you find out some of the background of the characters. The same pace is continued from book one and there’s barely an action free moment, making it easy to read and hard to put down!

Mal and Alina can’t stay hidden forever and we see lots of new characters in Siege and Storm, plus many returning from Shadow and Bone.

However, we would warn readers not to get too attached to anyone as Leigh Bardugo seems to have a touch of the George R. R. Martin with her penchant for killing off characters, leaving me wondering if there’ll be anyone left standing by the end of Ruin and Rising.

As Alina harnesses her power the Darkling, the Apparat, and even a pirate (privateer actually) all vie for her loyalty, but power comes at a price as Alina learns painfully.

The same rich tapestry of deceit, mythology and fantasy make this trilogy a brilliant read and the books are so fast paced and unpredictable, books one and two have been real page-turners.