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A review by maegnoche
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
If there's a perfect way to end a trilogy, Leigh Bardugo has certainly done it. I can proudly say that this was my favorite book from the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
As always, I have to commend Bardugo's imagery and writing style- she never fails with that one. The reason I liked this book much better was it filled in the gaps from the first and second book. I personally saw this improvement in the character development department as well as the romance.
I would say that Alina's journey in the first and second book was worthwhile to see however, it definitely needed a bit more for me and Ruin and Rising did not disappoint. The way Alina grew in the first book was dealing with her newfound powers and in the second book, dealing with the greed that came with it. In this book however, there wasn't one central issue she had to deal with. Of couse, Alina also grew through other things like death and all the casualties they had experienced- but that was further emphasized here.
The character redemption arc that was suprisingly done well was Mal's- highly contributing to the 5 star rating. I had a personal grudge against Mal while reading the last two books. I won't elaborate as much but he was defintely the love interest which you just couldn't grasp the reason of the MC for falling in love with. But this book helped me understand in various ways. It was super "will they/won't they" which aside from brining longing and angst to the book, it helped me see their relationship in a different light. Also his quotes in this book are simply chef's kiss.
Alina's realizations seem somewhat deeper this time which I think helps make this more than fantasy. Plus, I really loved the forming friendship between Zoya and Alina despite all that tension. I think it was a great addition just for a fun frenemies hint in the book but also Alina's growth in some way.
I believe the ending was the perfect fit for this trilogy despite the many mixed reviews. I definitely saw the parallel to Siege and Storm's beginning but the difference was Alina didn't have the choice to run away. This time she had, and I think after everything they faced, she deserved to choose that path. All Alina ever wanted was to go home and live a normal life- this ending perfectly fulfilled that.
As always, I have to commend Bardugo's imagery and writing style- she never fails with that one. The reason I liked this book much better was it filled in the gaps from the first and second book. I personally saw this improvement in the character development department as well as the romance.
I would say that Alina's journey in the first and second book was worthwhile to see however, it definitely needed a bit more for me and Ruin and Rising did not disappoint. The way Alina grew in the first book was dealing with her newfound powers and in the second book, dealing with the greed that came with it. In this book however, there wasn't one central issue she had to deal with. Of couse, Alina also grew through other things like death and all the casualties they had experienced- but that was further emphasized here.
The character redemption arc that was suprisingly done well was Mal's- highly contributing to the 5 star rating. I had a personal grudge against Mal while reading the last two books. I won't elaborate as much but he was defintely the love interest which you just couldn't grasp the reason of the MC for falling in love with. But this book helped me understand in various ways. It was super "will they/won't they" which aside from brining longing and angst to the book, it helped me see their relationship in a different light. Also his quotes in this book are simply chef's kiss.
Alina's realizations seem somewhat deeper this time which I think helps make this more than fantasy. Plus, I really loved the forming friendship between Zoya and Alina despite all that tension. I think it was a great addition just for a fun frenemies hint in the book but also Alina's growth in some way.
I believe the ending was the perfect fit for this trilogy despite the many mixed reviews. I definitely saw the parallel to Siege and Storm's beginning but the difference was Alina didn't have the choice to run away. This time she had, and I think after everything they faced, she deserved to choose that path. All Alina ever wanted was to go home and live a normal life- this ending perfectly fulfilled that.