Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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Our rating: 4.5 stars

Book summary:

Darkness never dies. Alina and Mal are on the run. Hunted and haunted, but together at last, they can't outrun Alina's past or her destiny forever. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and he needs Alina to realise his dangerous plan. There are others who would like to use Alina's gift too. And as her power grows, somehow, she must choose between her country, her power, and her love - or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm. Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance. 

         After finishing Shadow and Bone we couldn't wait to get back into this world. So once again we had a great company in Emma @ Never Judge a Book by its Cover and we were ready for a new adventure. So if you have read our review for Shadow and Bone you know how much we liked it, not it's time to share our thoughts about Siege and Storm. So here is our spoiler-free review.

What do you think of the atmosphere and pacing change in Siege and Storm?
Glass: It was refreshing compared with few others second in the series books. The biggest plus for me was that Siege and Storm doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome, it is not simply "a filler"- everything gets more complicated. I liked how Alina was portrayed, she is not perfect and the smartest of them all.
Tanja: I really enjoyed the change in this book. Shadow and Bone was a really action-packed book and now after you got familiar with the story, characters and world-building I was so glad to see things change. This story was more about Alina's attempt to find a purpose. It wasn't as action-packed as Shadow and Bone but still I kept turning pages really fast. I could notice some small details in this world and also in the story so I could create some theories in my head. I'm really curious to see if they are true, or at least close to it.

Your thoughts on Sturmhond?
Tanja: Even though Darkling is someone really interesting to me and I still enjoy to hate his guts. But Sturmhond is changing the atmosphere here. I really enjoyed his wit and sense for humor. It was hard not to laugh out loud. But at the same time I enjoy his unpredictability as I never know what his true motivation is.
Glass: I was pleasantly surprised because I did not expect someone like him to show up in this series. As Tanja said, Darkling is the most intriguing character, but Sturmhond comes close to our villain. There were few things that bothered me, but it is more about certain plot twist than the actual character.

The development of Mel and Alina's relationship.
Glass: I was happy that this aspect of the story got more attention in second book, it explained a lot about Alina and Mal's dynamic. On the other hand I was a little bit annoyed with the way they acted sometimes, mostly because it didn't seem very convincing. I wish I could explain better, but I'm afraid that would be impossible without spoilers. A lot of spoilers. I think you will understand what I mean if you decide to read The Grisha Trilogy.
Tanja: This book brought us a better view on their relationship, as it focuses more on characters than the world itself. So yeah we could see that their connection was something that was there since they were children. Also we could see that they did many things that brought them apart, but somehow I could grasp it this time around. In Shadow and Bone, I could see it and understand it, but not feel it completely. I think that now I could.

Love triangle. Yes? No? Maybe?
Tanja: I'm really not sure what to think here. Yes there was a love-triangle, that's for sure. But essentially I have no idea who is in this because of love and who simply chases interest. But yes we could see Alina's struggle and it really created some complications.
Glass: I have no idea what to say about this. Why? Let's just say that it's complicated. There are hints of possible triangle (or triangles), even a splash of angst, but all of that mostly didn't work out for me.

Which book did you love more?
Glass: Shadow and Bone - it was more magical.
Tanja: Well, for me it was Shadow and Bone. Simply in that book we were introduced to this amazing world and everything in that book was new and vivid. This one was more focused on characters which is not a bad thing, but I'm a fantasy freak first of all.

Describe Siege and Storm in one word.
Tanja: Strengthening.
Glass: Fun.

What do you expect from Ruin and Rising?
Glass: Awesomeness of epic proportions. Answers. More Darkling. Less romance drama.
Tanja: I think we all want to see the huge mystery resolved. Also I'm really curious to see how the author is going to finish this huge confusion. It'll be interesting to see, that for sure.

Until the next time,