Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2) – Leigh Bardugo

Haven’t read the first book, Shadow and Bone? Check out my review here!

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pages: 432
Release 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.

I’m going to keep this review short since a lot of the problems I had with Shadow and Bone continue in Siege and Storm.

Alina continues to be incredibly boring. Everything Alina receives in Siege and Storm is given to her for no apparent reason. Other characters even bring up her lack of experience, but it’s waved away. This wouldn’t necessarily be an issue, however Alina does nothing throughout the entire novel that proves her prowess or proficiency.

I didn’t think it was possible for Mal to become more annoying and broody, but I thought wrong. For most of the novel, Mal is dead weight. He becomes especially annoying once Nikolai is introduced.

Nikolai is easily the best part of Siege and Storm and the reason I rated the novel three stars instead of two. He’s charismatic, funny, charming, and an absolute pleasure to read. More Nikolai is not a bad thing.

Siege and Storm is slower paced than its predecessor. Readers get to simmer in the daily activities of the characters as they prepare for the inevitable climax. I usually relish these moments during fantasy novels, however Bardugo doesn’t use her time wisely in that she doesn’t develop Alina and doesn’t develop her connection with The Darkling until it’s too late. The connection is such an interesting idea, but is introduced too late to be used effectively.

I’m not in any hurry to finish the series. I’ll get around to it when I eventually find a used copy.

Have you read Siege and Storm? what did you think?