A review by bbrassfield
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

3.0

Wild finish to the middle novel in the series, but finish is hardly the right word since the world Ravka is a part of is still very much in a state of well and truly fucked. Deducting half a star for Mal's interference with the final act in book two which could have wrapped the entire story as a duology, and for his incessant brooding and bad behavior rooted in his deep insecurities. Seriously, Alina just needs to bang the Darkling on the throne of shadows or whatever he's calling it now, in full view of her 'tracker' so that if he can't be killed, which Bardugo's had plenty of perfectly good opportunities, at least he can fuck back off to wherever Alina is not never to lay eyes on her again. Even Alina doesn't realize how happy this would make herself at this point. It's self-care at this point girlfriend. Then move on to Nikolai since the Darkling probably tires easily, what with all his energy spent on his shadow army.

By the end of the third volume, I'd better be reading about Alina drinking beer out of the Apparat's skull while resting her feet on a footstool she made out of Mal's ribcage after he finally got himself killed foolishly fighting Grisha when all he ever really hated was himself.