Siege and Storm
Ratings631
Average rating3.6
Better than the first one, I definetly love Leigh Bardugo. She has created a new character in this book I really really love!
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first. In many ways, it reminded me of Book 2 of the Hunger Games. In both cases, book 2 is very dark and sometimes hard to take. It was quite grim at times. The end had a twist I really wasn't expecting and I'm looking forward to book 3. I think I'd find it hard to reread this one but that will ultimately depend on how it all turns out.
Got really behind on my book list! So dating this dozen or so incorrectly as 12/31/24 and challenging myself to a sentence-long review. This is a suitably tense middle of a trilogy, as I was cringing to watch the world and central relationship both fracture, but also drawn to keep reading (saved the third for a while to be able to really relish it in 2025!).
Contains spoilers
I loved this book more than the first. I could tell that it was because the characters had better development. The start and the problems that it crossed through—I guess all of it mattered—and the end—it was just so AMAZING. I guess the best part was how Alina changed her personality and started accepting what exactly she was (and Nikolai obviously). I'm just so excited to see what she becomes in the next book, I'll wait for everything, and more for the next dark Alina it seems to be coming.
I think I may have fallen in love with Nikolai. He was such a joker and truly managed to put a smile on my face with his stupid antics and smart ideas.
David is such a sweetheart, he definitely had all my respect at the end.
I seriously thought Alina's hair turns white in the third book but I guess not. But it does make me wonder what price the Darkling has to pay for merzost.
“Siege and Storm,” the second installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, mirrors some of the first book's pacing problems but showcases significant growth in Bardugo's writing. This sequel brings a deeper, more compelling narrative and a clearer evolution in character development. It's refreshing to witness Bardugo's maturation as an author, as she crafts a world that feels more robust and detailed. While not without its flaws, “Siege and Storm” marks a promising step forward, suggesting an upward trajectory for the series' concluding chapters.
2.75/5 ⭐
Much worse than the first book and I didn't like that one much either. So far the series has been pretty disappointing for me. I'm kind of annoyed with Mal but I'm way more annoyed with Alina. I hate her so much. How is she falling in love with everyone she sees. She's in love with at least 5 people. Also she's such a lesbian I can't.
I could not put this down. I had a few friends tell me this book wasn't as good as the first, it's a bit slower and the change of scenery might take me a moment to get used to, but honestly, I felt this was better than the first.
I felt much closer to Alina and Mal, as well as getting a closer insight into their relationship, their flaws and their need to protect one another. Watching them discover themselves and their demons together and apart hit all the right notes for me.
The introduction of the new characters felt seamless, I was never bored and loved the mix of new faces. Leigh Bardugo is now one of my favourite authors, I personally just couldn't find a fault with this as a sequel and usually sequels can be quite tough to follow in their debut siblings steps.
The only issue I had while reading this was the inescapable feeling that I may never read a book that makes me feel like this again, I wish I could go back to the start already and jump back in with my mind blank.
Well that's some shit, the KU version has such a long “excerpt” from the 3rd book that when you're at the literal end of this one it says you're only 63% done!
Siege and Storm, the second book in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse series, builds on its predecessor with a captivating mix of magic, conflict, and the quest for power. Bardugo's ability to deepen the world's lore while focusing on character development is impressive, making the protagonists and their dilemmas feel real and relatable. The novel introduces intriguing new characters that add complexity to the plot, though at times the pacing seems to slow, particularly in the middle. I still rated this a 5/5 despite that because the blend of action, emotional depth, and the exploration of themes like leadership and sacrifice keeps the narrative engaging. Overall, it's a solid sequel that sets a high bar for the finale!
Це погано. Прям дуже погано. Примітка: мені дійсно сподобалась перша частина, я оцінила її в 4 ⭐️
Просто переписаний сюжет першої книги під нові обставини. Аліна вся та сама слабка характером дівчинка, яка не знає хто вона така. В кінці намагалися показати «character development», але я вже не вірю Аліні Старковій. Бо вона дуже легковажна дівчина з психологічними травмами і тупим любовним інтересом. Мал... Вибачте, але це крінж.
Врятував цю книгу Ніколай. Єдиний герой, якого прям прописали. Ти бачиш і розумієш його характер. Хоч щось тут дійсно круте є...
Я вже бачу знову переписаний сюжет першої книги під третю. Не просто так в нас 3 підсилювача є.
If it's one thing I really dislike about young adult fiction it's when the main character constantly manages to make the wrong decision or puts off making one due to a guy/several guys. This book had a little bit of that energy, and I didn't like it. At one point it felt like it was becoming a “special and unique girl has the attention of every male in the story” moment, but luckily it didn't get as bad as I anticipated. The first half was action packed and fast paced like the first book, but the second half had to much diplomacy focused chapters and also a lot of unnecessary pining and worrying.
Siege and Storm is the second book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and it is the dictionary definition of middle book syndrome. This book brings so little to the table it is genuinely a Herculean feat.
The story starts out a few weeks following Shadow and Bone's ending, with Mal and Alina on a boat bound for Kerch, ready to start a life away from the clutches of the Darkling, and bide their time to return and stop him. This plan is put out to pasture almost immediately however, as they're tracked down almost instantly to the inn that they've been staying at, and recaptured.
The Darkling now has the ability to summon creatures using his powers, and the Grisha are even more under his thumb than ever following Alina's escape from him. As he's transporting Alina back to Ravka, with the help of a pirate he's hired, he tells her that they're going to be getting her another of Morozova's amplifiers, this time from a mythical sea-serpent, which is a shock to both the reader and Alina, as Grisha have historically only ever had one amplifier.
With the help of the pirate working for the Darkling, the serpent is tracked down and brought low, but then the pirate betrays the Darkling and helps Alina escape from his clutches, stealing the serpent from him in the process as well. Alina then kills the serpent, taking her second amplifier, but this time it's fully in her control.
This all happens in the first 60 or so pages of the book, so by this point, I was ready for a book that was absolutely jam packed with action. But, alas, that wasn't what I was to get from this book. Instead, Alina returns to court to mope about and pretend to lead the Grisha for about 250 pages, while dealing with some of the most irritatingly dumb relationship problems that I've had the misfortune to read for a while.
Her and Mal go through around 3 arguments in this book, and all of them are easily avoided if they just spoke to each other. But no, that would require these characters to have an ounce of spine to them for even a second. Communication issues are a very real thing in relationship, but they're almost never enjoyable to read about, instead just being this really banal piece of storytelling that's frustrating to read.
But hey, at least we get court politics, which were a highlight of the last book, but again, no such luck. Alina takes almost no action of worth throughout this book, instead allowing everybody else to be a driving force behind her in court. This just felt like a carbon copy of the last books court drama, but much more rote and tedious. We keep getting the excuse that she's hunting for the last of Morozova's amplifiers, but that goes absolutely nowhere for the entire book.
But of important note is just how mediocre of a protagonist Alina actually is throughout this book. She, for some mental reason, is still hung up on the Darkling. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Apparently Alina is red-green colourblind, so the massacre of innocents is A-ok to her. What this leads to is this bizarre love-quadrangle between her, Mal, the Darkling, and Nikolai, but we all know who'll she end up with by the end. If I'm being honest, I could have dealt with an Alina/Mal/Nikolai triangle, but the books insistence that she would have any continued interest in the Darkling is fucking baffling, as by this point, his only redeeming quality is being attractive, and even that's becoming less true as he uses his power more.
But the worst part of this book, by far and away, is that by the end of it, I was genuinely confused why this series was a trilogy. The majority of this book was an utter waste of time and energy, and were I not positive that there's greener pastures ahead in the series, I wouldn't be continuing after this shift show of a book.
And then there's the ending to the book. I hated it. It was so insanely boring, and made the rest of the book even more pointless, as it effectively wiped the slate entirely clean, leaving me confused as to why there even needed to be a middle book. On top of that, there was a major asspull that I really disliked, but I'm going to refrain from going into too much detail because of spoilers
My recommendation is going to be contingent on whether or not book 3 is good, so I'll edit this review after having finished that, but this book just wasn't it. 2/5 stars, with it being saved from being 1-star just by virtue of how enjoyable the opening to the book was.
EDIT: After finishing Ruin & Rising, I can fully recommend this book. This was a hiccup, not an indication of things to come ^^
took a while to get going but once we were going we were GOING!!!! better than the first book i liked it a lot
Best boy Nikolai ❤️
Thought the drama between Mal and Alina would have been worse. Then I reached that second half of the book and it really was. Nikolai is a lovely addition to the cast of characters, though I find Alina's affinity to just ignore her problems with Mal for the sake of a moment of fun with Nikolai else very annoying. Especially when Nikolai's charming character makes him feel like such a good fit for a love-interest. Oh well. I guess we can't have it all.
It's a quick read and though politics take up a fair amount of this book, I was really enjoying and the different settings we were in. It was nice to have the dynamics that come with new scenery. And again, Nikolai is just 👌🏻😍
3.5 - this started off so good but slowed down too much through the middle to the point i lost interest making the final few chapters not as exciting as they could've been. Im hopeful the 3rd book will redeem the trilogy for me
I know a lot of people say the darkling is the only reason they rate this book but for me it is Nikolai. He is so comedic ugh i love him
Contains spoilers
extreme middle book syndrome. boring nothing until the last 20 pages when the darkling who ive nicknamed the fuckling (derogitory) finally invaded the castle or wtv
ngl alina and mal , extremely tedious and dull to read all that fuckin back and forth waaa u dont love me u love the other hot guy/girl like oh my lord have mercy shut the fuck up
i cant even say anything else like this shit was just so nothing that im p sure my eyes started glazing over while reading laymao
music listened to: Mini Game - Ocarina of TIme
time taken to read: 4:42:03 !
I'm very disappointed. I actually enjoyed the first book. But this one didn't quite reach the same level. I'm not even sure if I'll continue with the next one. It was difficult for me to go through the book.