Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Published by: Henry Holt and Co.

Publication Date: June 4, 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Page Count: 448

Rating: 4/5

Source: Purchase

Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Book Depository

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Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner-hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice-and only she can face the oncoming storm.

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“I’ve seen what you truly are, and I’ve never turned away. I never will. Can he say the same?”

Because of the fallout from the explosive ending of Leigh’s debut novel, Siege and Storm walks on the borderline of the second book syndrome. At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy the sequel. But I’m rather surprised I do.

Leigh improves on her weaknesses in Shadow and Bone. And while some nuisances weren’t necessary, I feel it gives you a better understanding of this vast universe Leigh has created. The political backdrop refuses to remain hidden and rears its disturbing head. And she explores the intricate bond Alina and the Darkling share, which is as tantalizing as I imagined it.

Beyond the Blurb | Should We Panic over or Be Ecstatic for Book Adaptations?

Calling all Grisha and stabby babies!

Who’s ready for another discussion post?! The day has come. GrishaVerse is hitting the small screen! And all the Grisha fans let out a collective scream around the world. I clearly heard it. And I couldn’t stop myself from doing the same. Having Nikolai and Kaz sharing the same screen is almost too hard to fathom.

Now, I could rave about this news. And a part of me would like someone, preferably one of my bestie bloggers, to sedate me until we see the cast. I don’t know how I can handle the wait. Can you? I doubt anyone can.

But one little negative thought wiggled in my giddiness: the dreaded “what if the Netflix screws this adaptation up?!” feeling. Yes, I’m stirring the pot. But I’m generally curious to see how people feel about movie adaptations, particularly this one. So should we freak out and be the happy book lovers who’ve been waiting years for this chance? Or are we setting ourselves up for possible disappointment?

Monthly Wrap-Up | December 2018

Morning, book fam!

Who else feels drained from the holidays? I’ve been getting in some solid 10-hour nights, but I still feel exhausted. So I am glad I’m still on my work break, or I couldn’t function properly. Hopefully, for my new year’s resolution, I’ll get back into the blogging swing. I’ve missed talking with all of you.

But Christmas turned out great, and New Year’s Eve just set off a great new start to 2019. Is anyone freaking out over the number of books we need to buy and read this year?

Blogmas | The Nightmare before Christmas Tag

Morning, book lovers!

Don’t panic, everyone. But we have just 1 week, 7 days, and 168 hours until Christmas. 😉

Anyways, being an 80s baby growing up in the 90s, I fell in love with the movie Nightmare before Christmas. Frankly, almost every movie Tim Burton has created is on my favourite’s list. So I was thrilled to find this tag floating around. I know the flick may be slightly unconventional, but it shaped the 90s kids. And I love to see the stories people have about it.

I found this wonderful tag on Boston Book Reader. If you haven’t checked out Kris’ blog, go do so now!

Top Ten Tuesday | Backlist Books I Want to Read

Morning, bloggers!

Please tell me I’m not the only person affected by the Daylight Savings time. I feel as if I’ve slept for 10 hours, but I didn’t.

Top Ten Tuesday, originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is a weekly meme. Today’s theme is backlist titles. I don’t think I need a prompt to remind me that my TBR pile can easily kill me if it wanted to. 😂 But here are my top 6 picks of books and series I want to read. I hope you enjoy!

 

Rebel of the Sands Series

Romance, defiance, rebellion, and magic. SIGN ME UP! My friend Dana recommended the entire series, and for a good year, it’s sat on my TBR list. But I can’t resist another jinn-themed storyline though. I also can’t turn down beautiful covers. I’m vain, people.

 

Tower of Dawn

I’m so worried about the book. Chaol was, and may somewhat be, one of my favourite characters, but the way he treats Aelin in Queen of Shadows is hard to move past. I hated how his storyline turned out, but I need for him to have a redemption arc.

 

The Dragon’s Wing

Tate introduced me to reverse harem, so I can’t forget to mention her in this list. I absolutely loved her debut series and have thought about binge-reading the rest of it.

 

Bright We Burn

For months, I’ve avoided the book. You see, I somewhat glossed over the entire thing when it arrived, so I know what happens. However, I need to finish the series. I never thought I’d root for Radu though.

 

Shadowsong

Wintersong was my highly anticipated read of last year. And while I loved it, I feel I rode the blogger wave of loving this book and not critiquing it properly. Because of the mixed reviews for this one, I’m just worried I won’t love Shadowsong as much as the first.

 

Grishaverse

How can I possibly skip this glorious series? It has the Darkling in it! Okay, I screwed up by reading Six of Crows before Shadow and Bone. But I’ll get to this series before King of Scars. Or I hope. Please remind me if I don’t 😂