Review: SIEGE AND STORM by Leigh Bardugo

SIEGE AND STORM

(The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)

Leigh Bardugo

BLURB

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner—hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice—and only she can face the oncoming storm.

THREE AND a HALF STARS

In Siege and Storm Alina has an added guy to her repertoire of men who are interested in her:

MAL
Mal is a childhood friend who is starting to take notice of her beyond being just a friend. Besides being the best tracker he has self-pointed himself as being Alina’s protector.

The DARKLING
He wants to give Alina more powers so he can control her. He wants to harness her darkness for his will.

STURMHOND
Is a ship captain but when he’s in the shadow fold the Grisha change his face back to expose who he really is, Nikolai, the 2nd prince of Ravka. He wants to marry Alina as a way to protect her from the Darkling and rule Ravka with him.

The story starts out with Alina & Mal escaping the Darkling by getting on a ship and heading out to sea. The Darkling has found them on Captain Sturmhond’s ship. Since Captain Sturmhond claims Alina as his prisoner, as a way to protect her from the Darkling, she is somewhat safe for that moment.

While on the sea Mal tracks down the 2nd of three amplifiers Alina will need to defeat the Darkling.

The Amplifiers for Alina:
The stag (she obtained in the first book)
The sea whip (she obtained in this book)
The firebird (I’m seeing a pattern here – she’ll probably get this in the third book)

Sturmhold takes them to Ravka where he reveals himself as the prince to Alina and Mal. Nikolai wants to marry Alina but she’s not keen on this idea and Mal hates the idea. Even when Nikolai explains it would just be a marriage of convenience and Mal could have a relationship with Alina on the side.

Alina visits Baghra, the Darklings mom, to find out what he did to her since she helped Alina escape. Alina is shocked to find Baghra has been made blind.

The overall story was interesting. I will continue on to see what Alina does with all this power she’s been gaining. Even though I don’t find Alina’s character very likable I’m hoping in the final book she’ll get her act together and grow a backbone.

Audiobook source: Audible
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang
Length: 11H 49M

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