Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha #3
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Romance
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 17th, 2014
Edition: Hardcover, B&N Exclusive Edition, 422 pages
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | BAM






Synopsis:
The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

     Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

     Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

    The third and final book of this series.

It made me smile, cry, and angry.

    This was a wonderful and fitting ending to Alina's story. Although there were multiple times when I thought it was going in a way I didn't want it to. More than once I felt the heartache of a sad ending that I didn't want to read. Then a thing happened that I thought was going to give me a worse ending than that.

    Alina is a pretty great character, and her growth throughout the story is pretty wonderful. She was always a little snarky, but as the story progressed she became more self-assured as well. Mal was always wonderful and has some of the best lines in the books, the same goes for Nikolai. They are fairly similar in some ways. All the characters had the bulk of their growth in this book. Even Zoya, someone who I really hated in the first book became awesome by the end.

    I got hit with the feels more than I'd care to talk about while reading this, all the conversations between Mal and Alina for most of the book made my heart hurt.

    The end was kind of bittersweet, and even though the Darkling was kind of.... well crazy, deep down he really wasn't that evil. He still was just a lonely boy that wanted to belong somewhere and with someone. My version of the book had his prequel short story at the end, and after reading that I kind of feel sorry for him, and had he grew up in a different situation he may not have been so cruel.

    This is a story that I will be able to re-read endlessly and I think this will be one of those series that lasts the ages. It is such a unique and engaging fantasy story that I think just about anyone will enjoy.