Yeah, you read that right - 5 stars after a first reading. It was going to be four but then I realized that would just match the previous two books and it's better than them. And Ruin and Rising is really probably going to be 5 stars on reread. So I might as well just skip to that part. It helps that I reread Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm right before this so I was already deep in the world.
I don't normally reread leading up to a series end. I did it with these because I love this series, and now especially this novel, so much I don't know that I have words to do it justice. It is sparsely written; not because Leigh Bardugo doesn't give you enough story but because she's precise with the information you need. The setting, the magic, the characters - you get into it without a lot of fluff or rambling. Which means the books move quickly and so much happens and yet you still get to spend time with the characters and fall for them.
And Ruin and Rising... takes those characters deeper; makes them more complex and therefore more interesting. And then it expresses it so powerfully. I bought the hardback of this for the Darkling prequel story at the back and found myself wishing that I had it on kindle so I could highlight every line I loved. About a quarter way through it occurred to me that it was my book and not a library copy and I could underline whatever I wanted. But by then I'd missed so many great lines I figure I'll do it when I reread it. And I'll underline so much all over the place. Half of Nikolai's lines and most of Mal's and that moment with Genya and...
I love these characters. Nikolai is spectacular, but I have loved Mal since Shadow and Bone. And as much as I hated what happened in Siege and Storm it was exactly what would have happened. For Mal most of all - but also for all the characters - Ruin and Rising gives them conflict between what they want and what they choose. I loved that those were two completely different things. I loved the struggle between those polarities and the questions and the wanting and accepting the pain that came from walking away. There's this beautiful ruthlessness to the characters in this story, maybe in part as a result of the influence of Russian culture on this world. They do what has to be done and they don't whine about. They argue and they fight but there is no room for pity or hollow apologies. There is such strength in so many of them from what they endure and what they choose and I love it.
And Bardugo doesn't just make them endure - she twists the knife, makes it personal and horrifying and so much better than what you'd expect. But somehow that only makes me admire them more and like them more, even the ones I thought I'd never like.
The mythology plays out like a masterpiece. When everything falls into place you can see the threads from the first two books - how Bardugo must have known exactly what she was doing or must be gifted with an incredible storytelling instinct for them to fall together. This world unravels in stories and becomes deeper and richer as it becomes clearer. And there's history in this, a culture with rituals and oaths and symbols that give things meaning and resonance.
I am become a blade
The characters and the world and the beauty of the writing along with the efficiency of the pace - nothing is perfect but there is hardly a false step in this entire series. I am blown away by how well done it is and admire Bardugo so much for writing this so incredibly well. Even with the very end, she did not disappoint. She shocked me a little, but in its own way it has the perfect, the only possible, happy end.
REREAD: There isnt much I dislike about this book but in the beggininng an entire page of Alina doubting her Grisha is just stupid. Every now and then she’s a bit of a pathetic heroine and this is one such moment. Also, I’m always a little thrown that she introduces brand new Grisha we've never met or heard of but she acknowledges that their almost strangers but not until like chapter three so it’s still a bit odd for me every time. There’s a bit too much exposition here and there for me when I want it to get to the action. But ince it dies, it’s poignant and well crafted.