Siege and Storm: Book 2 (Grishaverse, #2) (Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)

by Leigh Bardugo

"The Hunger Games meets Potter meets Twilight meets Lord of the Rings meets Game of Thrones; basically epic magical fantasy but completely for grown-ups." STYLIST MAGAZINE The first book was Shadow and Bone. Now Alina's story continues. 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. Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and Laini Taylor.

• ISBN10: 1780621132
• ISBN13: 9781780621135
• Publish Date: 6 June 2013 (first published 4 June 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 22 May 2014
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
• Imprint: Indigo (an Imprint of Orion Children's)
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

Siege and Storm is the second book to Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone Trilogy. This book is also apart of the Grishaverse series written by Leigh Bardugo. If you are thinking about reading the Grishaverse series, I would recommend reading the Shadow and Bone Trilogy first and then the Six of Crows Duology. I couldn’t wait to dive into the trilogy’s second book after I finished the first book. I needed to know what would happen to Alina and Mal after they escaped the Darkling in the Fold. 

Storyline/My Thoughts: Do not read this review unless you have read the book(s) in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. I don’t usually spoil, but just in case, I wanted to give a forewarning. Sometimes I get overzealous in my review, especially if I enjoyed the book. Although this book only received four stars, I still did like it. One aspect drove me crazy, though. I’ll go over it in my review.

I love this trilogy by Leigh Bardugo due to the writing style, world-building, and characters. I love how she has the trilogy based on Tsarist Russia of the early 1800s. I don’t think I’ve ever read books that involved Russian culture before and in a made-up world. I love when authors do something different.

This book picks up where the first book left off with Alina and Mal on the run and hiding from the Darkling and his Grisha. Unfortunately, he finds her, and he has a new scary power that ends up hurting her. The Darkling is not someone to mess with within this book; even his own Grisha are scared of him. It takes a privateer (pirate) to save Alina and Mal and get them out of the Darkling’s radar. Alina finds out in this book too that the Darkling is after another amplifier, and it involves another mythical creature called the sea whip. It’s real, though, and Alina is going to realize the only way to beat the Darkling is to beat him at his own game. Alina and Mal will find out the person that saved them is someone unexpected. I loved this new character and hope I get more of him in the next book. I also loved getting to know the new Grisha in this book. It’s amazing how authors can keep up with all different characters and their backstories.

The ending of this book was full of action and, unfortunately, death. I feel that the Darkling is always two steps ahead of Alina and Mal, even if Alina feels she can defeat him. An unlikely ally will help Alina and Mal at the end of the book, which I still don’t like from the first book.

The Darkling was different in this book from the first, not only with his new power but also his creepy ways. He is obsessed with Alina and power. He will do anything to get her, even torture her and everyone she loves. He didn’t get many appearances in this book, but he made his point of being different when he did.

Alina drove me crazy in this book because the first book had a love triangle, but this one has others falling for her and wanting to use her for her power. She has people proposing to her and driving Mal to jealousy. Alina, of course, punches and kicks at the newcomers, but these new men in her life are still making their moves. Poor Mal! Mal was there for Alina, but he knew he could not offer her anything. Alina kept driving him away instead of telling him the truth, which led to miscommunication. This is what made me give this four stars. The two characters that love each other were driving each other apart.

I also feel Alina needs to get her priorities in check. There was a part in this book where she put herself in danger on purpose and almost ruined everything. She needed someone to put her in check, and it took the ending for her to wake up. I hope she starts waking up more in the next book, too. She needs to realize that the Darkling is not going away, and she needs to find a way to defeat him.

I’m so glad I’m reading these books, though. Leigh Bardugo has a new fan from now on, and I can’t wait to dive into the other books to the Grishaverse universe.

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy and Grishaverse series.

Cliffhanger: Yes.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I would recommend this trilogy to Young Adult Fantasy readers. If you are a fan of Sarah J. Maas, Richelle Mead, Victoria Aveyard, etc., then you’ll enjoy these books by Leigh Bardugo.

The best part of reading these books is that I’m reading them back-to-back without having to wait for them to release. I love binge reading a series, and I also reading fantasy books. It’s my first look when it comes to reading.

[pamela]

Instead of suffering from middle-book syndrome Siege and Storm vastly surpassed the mediocrity of Shadow and Bone. Alina really came into her own, and she turned out to be a really interesting character with many, many shades of grey.

There were moments when Siege and Storm was still a little tropey, but the story was strong enough, and Leigh Bardugo's writing mature and developed enough that it didn't matter so much. I also felt like this book gave a better sense of the world and the internal mythology (although I still feel like there would have been a lot more scope for world-building had this been a High Fantasy novel, rather than YA).

I'm looking forward to reading book three now, and I'm glad I didn't give up after the first book. Let's see if the trilogy can keep up the new pace.

[maggiefan]

I just don't understand why this book is better than the first one, but still kinda sucks.

[Quirky Cat]

Siege and Storm is the second novel in Leigh Bardugo’s groundbreaking Shadow and Bone Trilogy. It’s also the second novel in her extended universe known as the Grishaverse. No matter how you look at it, this is not a novel you want to miss out on. I’m honestly still kicking myself for taking this long to get around to reading the series.
Ravak is a country torn apart by war, greed, and the Shadow Fold. This is the same world that contains Grishas – people who can do extraordinary magic. Or in the case of the Darkling; horrible feats of power.
Alina and Mal may have escaped significant danger on that dreadful day, but now they’ve found themselves on the run. And worst of all, the Darkling is alive and is undoubtedly seeking to take Alina back. But they have more allies than they’re aware of; granted each and every person they come across is bound to have their own goals as well. But any port in the storm.

“He didn’t understand. The dreams were the only place it was safe to use her power now, and she longed for them.”

Siege and Storm was every bit as emotional and powerful as its processor. This novel blew me out of the water and left me eager to read more (luckily for me there are plenty of books left to read). Where Shadow and Bone introduced the series, Siege and Storm brought it to all new heights.
It isn’t every day that I read a fantasy novel that makes me mist up. And yet that is exactly what Siege and Storm did here. I was shocked by the amount of emotion Leigh Bardugo was able to fit in these pages.
What I loved most about Siege and Storm is that Bardugo added politics, plotting, and interpersonal disputes into the mix. It made an already complex and vivid world feel so much more alive – and intimidating.
And of course, there’s the addition of a new character in this book. Well, several, actually. But there’s one iconic one that I’ve been hearing about. And now I understand why (I also have a better understanding about the whole King of Scars plot now, so yay!).
I honestly can’t get over this novel. It was just…so emotional. Alina has been through hell and back in these last two books, and she’s earned all the right she could ever need in order to feel what she’s going through. What impresses me is how Bardugo has managed to make her readers feel all of this alongside her characters. It’s beautifully done.
I’m torn between taking a bit of a break before moving on, or diving right into Ruin and Rising. Part of me is feeling pretty desperate to see the rest of Alina’s tale. While the rest of me feels like I need some time to recover before I more onwards.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Mercy]

2.5 maybe? Idk. Gotta think about it.

[lisacee]

It just ended so abruptly...

[ibeforem]

As this second book in the trilogy opens, Alina has escaped the control of the Darkling, Mal still by her side. But the Darkling has come out of their battle with new, scarier powers, and this is a war Alina and Mal can't fight on their own.

The two unexpectedly end up partnered with Strumhond, a privateer with his own small army of Grishas, and together they begin working towards taking down the Darkling. Unfortunately, it seems that the only way to do this is to complete the plan that he himself came up with -- find the amplifiers for themselves.

This book is also full of political intrigue and machinations, and there are multiple surprises to keep you guessing. Alina has a better understanding of herself in this book, even if she isn't always sure she likes what she's doing.

Despite a few slow spots, this is a solid second book in the trilogy.

[anastasia]

Full Review on my blog!

Woah.  I don’t even know where to start.

”You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai?” I asked as I closed the book’s cover and headed for the door. “They always end up dead.”

The path that this book took was certainly different than Shadow and Bone, but that is not to say that I didn't enjoy it regardless. Siege and Storm had a very promising start because it wasted no time to continue where book 1 left us with. 

Siege and Storm begins with Alina and Mal leaving Ravka and fleeing the Darkling after everything that occurred on the Shadow Fold at the end of Shadow and Bone. Alina and Mal try and make a life for themselves, but the Darkling is hunting them, and the stag’s ampliphier around Alina’s neck makes it impossible for her to truly disappear. Quickly the Darkling finds them and from that point on the action never stops! I really want to say more about the plot but I don't want to spoil it!

The faint tracery of scars on his face was barely visible, like the ghost of a map. One ran perilously close to his right eye. He’d almost lost it. He cupped my cheek with his hand, and when he spoke, his voice was almost tender. “They’re just the beginning,” he whispered.

I absolutely loved the new characters that were introduced, especially Nikolai. He was such an interesting character from the very beginning, and the twins are right up there as well. I love that we got to see a more human side of David. 

Siege and Storm left me breathless.  I love these characters and the way they develop in this installment. I love this world. I love the magic system. I love the plot. I love everything about this book and I am immediately going to dive into book three. I can not wait to find out what happens next. 

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Shadow and Bone | Review
Siege and Storm | Review soonTM
Ruin and Rising | Review soonTM


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[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

Okay, so here is the deal. I really this series of books but at the same time I want to go through it really fast because I want to be done with it. There are moments where the story is dragging on a little or nothing much is happening, but I still desperately want to know how this might end. Overall, the story is captivating but there are some dry spells too.
Maybe the reason I wasn't 100% over the moon with this is because love stories are a big part of this book. I know people are hating Mal, I honestly don't really care that much about him. I know some people still ship Alina with the Darkling which is kind of insane. I just want Alina to figure out her shit on her own without having do deal with a guy. Why is it that in every damn YA book there needs to be a love triangle or at least a tragic love story? Can we just cut that shit and let the badass women be?
One of the giant rays of sunshine in this book is Nikolai. He's one of my all-time favorite characters. Nikolai has got the looks, the charm, the intelligence and the swagger. I love his sense of humor and even his slightly bitchy comments he constantly makes.

Nikolai was honestly the only good thing about this book. I was still frustrated with Alina, probably even more so in this book. She changed her mind countless times, she was awful to Mal, and ... I don’t even know anymore. The idea is nice, but I don’t enjoy reading about very indecisive teenagers anymore.