[Review] Ruin and Rising: Grisha Verse #3

Book

Title: Ruin and Rising

Series: Grisha Verse

Volume: 3 of 3

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Release Date: 17. Juni 2014

Page: 422

"We will put on our best clothes
and die like Heroes."
- Nikolai

Summary

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

My Opinion

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

I'm not satisfied...the series started so good and it had so much potential, which were sadly not used at all. Book 2 was already long and not really exciting, but this one was hard to read.

We start again with a lot of drama - the whole series would just be dramatic and melancholic if it werent for Nikolai. Sadly then nothing really is happening either, they are just a bunch of renegades encountering not very interesting situations on their way to their ultimate goal the fire bird. Or was it not?! In between you have little skirmishes with the Darkling, which always ends the same since the seccond book.

Sadly I haven't seen a real character growth. The Darkling really was interesting, I loved him in the first novel, he had so much depth to begin with, but then nothing. There was no reason behind all of his actions anymore - at least I've seen none. Alina ist still not my favorite and except of getting more melancholic there was no real change and I had hope. Mal, I accepted that we will not be rid of him. To conclude this, the best character was, as said Nikolai. He was the only one pushing things forward, act reasonable and also brought some fun to this book/series.

I'm really disappointed, the story had so much potential. The worldbuilding was great, the magic fascinating, ok some characters were also very nice, but it was not used. There were two books in which nothing was happening: skirmish, escape, hide, make a plan which fails and the same over and over again. I also hated it, that there were so much plot-holes. Where is Alina from? Why Mal? Why is the Darkling doing all this, just to get her power, save the Grisha? Why are they really connected? What happens with the magic when they are together? Was she really made just to be his counterpart?

Conclusion

So much ist not clearly thought through and the lack of a usefull and exciting storyline, made it even less good. Because I found the finale worse than book 2 I sadly have to give less: 2.5 Stars, not more.

Video Review in German