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

by Leigh Bardugo

[Angie]

I enjoyed Siege and Storm quite a bit more than the first book! It starts off with a bang, and then ends with a boom! At the start, Alina and Mal have escaped, but it's not too long before old foes catch up with them. Then it's time to hunt the second amplifier! No Grisha is meant to have this amount of power, but Alina knows it's the only way she'll able to save the world from darkness. Power is changing her, and not for the better.

While I loved the opening chapters of Siege and Storm, the middle is super boring. There's some great characterization, but I'm not really a character focused reader, so I found myself wanting more. Alina spends all of her time conflicted with gaining more power, and trying to hold on to herself, the girl who Mal loves. She's also studying Grisha history, the Saints, really anything she can get her hands on hoping to find something that can help. This is all well and good, but didn't hold my interest.

However, once the romance started to creep forward, I found I was completely and totally invested! I was getting noticeably angry at Alina and Mal. At one point I wanted to throw the book, then pick it up and bash Mal's head in, then shove their faces together to kiss! It's so frustrating! Then there's another component added to this love geometry and I was like aahhh! I adore all of the characters separately (Sturmhond!), but I only have room in my heart for Mal and Alina. Even if they made me mad.

The end of Siege and Storm was fantastic! So much tension and action, and I couldn't tell what was going to happen next! It didn't have any of the predictability that Shadow and Bone had for me. I was genuinely surprised at the things happening. I don't know what's to come, but I do know that I need more Darkling and Nikolai!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.