Ruin and Rising

SPOILERS

One of the things I think sets this world above most YA is how Bardugo introduces a few moral shades of gray. I appreciated the humanization of the Darkling through his past, but also by showing how a few of his loyal supporters thought he was making the hard but right decision. Feels like most YA just leaves it at “don't do bad things,” but I liked how the darkling's argument was “war is a cycle of suffering and it must be stopped. No matter how much suffering I cause in this moment, it will be worth it to make stability and end the war.” I don't 100% agree with that claim, but at least he's making some kind of argument that you can entertain. (Reminds me of Kuvira, my favorite Avatar villain).


I liked the twist that doing “the big magical thing” was actually her losing her powers and diffusing them to the “regular” people. I appreciated the running commentary about the special/ordinary divide, and how Alina's sainthood played into that. (And the sainthood elements pulled from Eastern Orthodox Christianity remains one of the neatest twists I've seen in place-based fantasy)

I will say I thought the resurrection of Mal disappointed me. Not just because he survived, but because it made no sense at all in the rules of the world. I don't need an encyclopedia of the world's magic system, but authors have to know that if they introduce an entirely new magical trick during a pivotal moment, it's going to feel like a deus ex machina.

On the whole, glad I read the trilogy, I'd put it above Hunger Games but below Golden Compass and perhaps Mistborn.