Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

 

**This review will contain spoilers for the first book in this series, Shadow and Bone.**

After the horror that was Absalom, Absalom!, I needed to read something a bit more fun. I decided to continue on with the Grishaverse books and start Siege and Storm, which is book two in the original series. I read the first book, Shadow and Bone, a few weeks ago and was entertained, but also a little underwhelmed. I thought that all the positive buzz I had heard about the series over the years would have equated to a more unique read, but it ended up being a pretty standard young adult fantasy. That's not to say it was bad though, I liked it well enough. I started off reading the sequel hoping to feel more of a connection to the protagonist, Alina Starkov, and also hoping to feel more engaged in her romance with Mal Ortesev.

The plot of this novel picks up shortly after the first book ends, with Alina abandoning the Darkling in the Shadow Fold and escaping across the sea with Mal. Their plan is to earn enough money to travel and then disappear as best they can together somewhere far away. Almost immediately, however, the Darkling reappears with his Grisha followers and captures them both. He has developed terrifying new powers and is still determined to seize control of Ravka. His plan is to use both of their talents to continue his war, but before long, a notorious privateer known as Sturmhond appears and whisks Alina and Mal away. 

Sturmhond has his own plan to defeat the Darkling, and Alina and Mal agree to work with him in order to save their country. This kind of work isn't easy though, as as Alina's powers begin to grow, she starts to grow further apart from Mal and feel that same desire for control that the Darkling has. Hearing rumors of the existence of a powerful amplifier, she becomes obsessed with the idea of finding it to strengthen her magic even further. Slowly, she starts to become a new person, one that Mal doesn't recognize and one that scares even herself with its ruthlessness. Torn between her old life and her new life, Alina must find a way to wield her power wisely and maintain control over her baser instincts if she wants to defeat the Darkling and preserve her relationship with Mal.

Similar to my feelings about the first novel in this series, I liked Siege and Storm. The world building continued to be a strong element in the story, and I enjoyed visiting the dark and magical Ravka once again. Bardugo does a nice job of making the country feel like a real place, with lots of little cultural touches throughout. I was reminded a bit of The Bear and the Nightingale while reading, as both of those books are influenced by Eastern European culture. The Grisha universe keeps its own (fictional) identity though; reading it truly feels like you're exploring a  unique, fantastical land.

I also felt like I got to know Alina better in this novel. Her struggle between wanting to embrace her powers and wanting to stay true to the person she was before her magic came out was well developed; I could empathize with the idea that once you go through some doors there's no going back, no matter how much you might wish to. I liked the the Darkling was a constant reminder of this idea as well. He isn't in this story a lot, but when he does appear, he serves to remind Alina that as the Sun Summoner, she will always be different from everyone else. Even among other Grisha, she is special. It make Alina feel endless turmoil. She doesn't know if she will be able to trust anyone again, if she can have normal friendships again, and, most importantly, if she can preserve her relationship with Mal. Her inner conflict felt genuine, and I appreciated this added depth for her character.

Speaking of Mal, I still found myself wishing throughout this novel that I cared more about his relationship with Alina. I think that the decision to have most their relationship building occur before the events of the first novel made it too difficult for me to feel invested in them as a couple. It's too bad too, because the pair goes through a lot of emotional struggles in this book that would probably have drawn me right into the story. Mal consistently feels like he's being left behind once Alina becomes the Sun Summoner. All of a sudden, the girl he's grown up with and loves has become incredibly powerful, and the hopes of an entire country rest on her shoulders. There doesn't seem to be a place for him in her world anymore. He goes through some dark times in this story trying to figure things out, but I didn't feel as much for him as I should have. I wish I got to see more of him falling in love with Alina prior to this book. I would have been rooting for him then. As it was, I didn't really feel their love for each other and I found Mal's behavior somewhat annoying a lot of the time.

One small critique I have for Siege and Storm is that it gets slow in parts. It's the middle book of a series, and it feels like the middle book of a series. A lot of time is spent waiting and preparing here, and I thought it dragged from time to time. However, the ending chapters were action packed and exciting. The story is left on a cliffhanger that made me very interested to continue on with the series. I'll definitely be picking up the third book next to see how the story ends.  

So ultimately, I felt similar about this novel as I did about the first book in the series. It's a very competent young adult fantasy. It's not going to end up being a treasured favorite for me, but I'm definitely enjoying my time with it. I liked Siege and Storm about the same amount as I did Shadow and Bone, maybe a tiny bit more, but not enough to push it past a 3/5 rating. Actual young adult readers, though, will probably rate it higher. In any case, I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the series, Ruin and Rising, to see how everything turns out.     

Challenge Tally

Clear the Shelves 2021: 13/50 (donate)

Total Books Read in 2021: 28