Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm
Series: The Grisha #2
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
Published Date: June 4th 2013

Genre: YA, High Fantasy, Dystopia
Page Count: 435
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary:  
Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.



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My Review:
Warning May Contain Spoilers

Pretty positive this was the fastest I've read a book in a long time.

The storyline of this one has been my favorite out of the two so far.

Alina grew so much in this one, which I was so happy to see. She still had some naive moments but nothing compared to the first one.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Shadow and Bone
Series: The Grisha #1
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Published Date: June 5th 2012
Genre: YA, High Fantasy, Dystopia
Page Count: 368
Format: Hardcover
MyRating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary:
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
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My Review:

 I loved how easy of a read this book was for me.
The world itself was interesting to learn about, and I loved how it seems to be somewhat based off Russia.

The main problem I had with it though was Alina she was so naive which didn't make much sense to me. Considering the fact that she was in the First Army, and had been an orphan I was expecting her to be more of a hero and less of a damsel in distress.

I am happy to see though that their wont be any love triangle. Well that was also kind of saddening to since it seems like the Darkling could have been an interesting character but seems to have just been made the villain way to easily.

It was nice to see a book in a series end in a way where it could have been a stand alone. But now onto reading the second book!