Hey everyone,

I am back after that brief and busy two week interlude.

This week I want to give a follow up review for the final book in the Grisha Trilogy.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo is the last instalment in her widely acclaimed Grisha trilogy. The book follows Alina Starkov, a peasant who became a saint who became an exile. In this final adventure Starkov must save the lives of her nation and her world from the Darkling, an ancient and devilishly handsome ruler who has taken control of Ravka and now wants to take control of Alina. This is Bardugo’s tying of ends and farewell to the world she created for some of her most beloved characters.

Firstly I’d like to comment on how proud I am of myself for actually finishing a trilogy. This task never used to be such a rare occurrence but recently i’ve been finding myself unable to care about a story long enough to stick with it across books. So bravo me!

Now I always find it difficult to review end books because endings to me are such a personal thing. The role of an author is an impossible one that always ends in heartbreak and saltiness from the fandom and so this review has to, to some degree, remain subjective.

Bardugo has always been good with worlds. In Ruin and Rising her talent is no less prevalent. Ravka in this final production is even more gorgeous. We certainly see much less of the urban areas that the authoress is so skilful in creating however the countryside and landscape that the crew of characters explore is described so carefully that the pages I was reading felt like a memory I had lived.

The setting was a big win for me and so with all big wins that has to be some losses too. I did feel as though the amount of characters introduced into the main plot were not relevant at this stage. It felt forced- like the writer was trying to inject something fresh by adding new people despite there being no actual logistical need for them. Sometimes the blur of names being mentioned did take away from the thrilling plot which was a shame.

I will not give any spoilers regarding the romance because it is always one of my favourite parts and I’m pretty sure that it’s probably one of your favourites too. What I will say is that the romance just became plain confusing and unnecessarily ambiguous at this stage. There was a lot of umming and arring that I didn’t care for. Quite frankly it was the situation of me staring at the page and wanting to scream: just be in love!

Alina continued to be a powerful and intelligent lead but there was some unneeded immaturity and whining that I felt was only put in to make her feel more real. Don’t get me wrong- as I’ve said many times before – the best books are realistic but Alina just annoyed me at parts which I felt was a let down.

The ending itself was very satisfactory (in my opinion). I always believe that in fiction there never should be a true happily ever after because it simply makes for a boring and un-provoking plot. Bardugo did not let me down in this department because the trade off between wins and losses was so balanced.

Would I recommend this book/trilogy? Yes if not to fill in the gaps in Six of Crows or simply show allegiance to the queen that is Leigh Bardugo then just because it is a good read. Was this book a sensational life changing experience? No- I would say that that was book one. The Grisha trilogy, like many things in life, just went gradually down hill. But thats ok.

I give this book a 3.6 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth.

Hi guys!

Today’s review is a follow on from a book I talked about a few weeks ago.

Siege and Storm is the second instalment in the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.

The story picks up right after Alina and Mal have escaped the Darkling and are now onboard a ship to Novyi Zem across the True Sea in search of a better, safer life.

I started this a few days after my reading of Shadow and Bone but I found I was able to jump right back into the world with great ease. This was probably down to Bardugo’s skill at world building but also the action and drama your thrown right into from the beginning probably also has something to do with it.

In Siege and Storm we see a wiser and more considerate Alina who has clearly grown up from book one. Further than this, the protagonist’s attitude to her power and her bestfriend/boyfriend also evolves in a way that feels more realistic and mature. The writer, I feel, in this instalment very clearly defined her characters and their personalities and I believe that was a real credit to this book.

The pacing of the plot as previously mentioned was lightning fast but I never felt like details were being left out; in fact I found it only made the narrative more exciting.

All of the delicate world and culture that Bardugo forged in book one carries over nicely into Siege and Storm and I was really glad to see that places like Os Alta and the Little Palace were revisited and described in greater depth. It felt like I was returning to a fictional home.

My review is largely in favour of the story yet I do have one qualm about SaS: The romance. I didn’t really care much for Alina and Mal’s relationship at the end of SaB but I thought it was reasonably fluffy and nicely carried out. However moving into the second book Bardugo puts a lot of effort into investing you into these character’s love and then, like some evil masterful authoress, destroys it all. And I hated it. I wanted them to be together because it had always felt so right within the context of the world and so it didn’t really make sense to me when they weren’t.

This book was definitely great if not fantastic but some details made me feel a little less positive. Maybe it was just mid book syndrome.

I give this book a 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey guys!

Hope you’re all doing well

This week’s blog post is about a book that is outside the YA genre?

My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff is a memoir that follows a young Rakoff, living in New York, working for a publishing agency. The chronicle looks at the trials and tribulations of being young in a big city whilst giving insight into Rakoff’s relationship with the infamous writer, J.D Salinger.

I rarely read autobiographies but I was immediately attracted to Salinger Year because of the setting. New York is one of my favourite cities in the world and Rakoff’s description of it certainly did not let me down. Her account of her day to day life was oddly encapsulating and her description of some of the harsh realities of being poor and young in a place as expensive as New York were actually hilarious.

Despite the story being entirely true the plot was perhaps one of the most interesting ones I’ve ever read. It is certainly true that the best autobiographies read like fiction and this was the case for My Salinger Year. The pacing was perfect and the characters (despite being real people) were pulsing with detail and flair. Rakoff’s recollection of her time with Salinger were so special and it was definitely intriguing to learn some secrets about a writer who is so infamously secretive. Also if you are looking at getting into publishing then this book is for you! I learnt a great deal about the world of getting a book from a writer onto the shelves from MSY.

I would definitely, even if you aren’t fond of autobiographies or memoirs, recommend My Sallinger Year.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!
And thanks again Beth.

Hey guys!

This week’s book review is about a story that over the years has gained an almost cult following in the YA world.

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a young adult fantasy book set in a deadly empire of secrets and lies. The tale follows Kestrel, the genius and beautiful daughter of the General. She has lived a lavish life of ballrooms and mansions and has never known what it is to be in need. In her world slavery is not an uncommon practice and nearly all of the Empire’s elite have personal slaves who wait at their hand and foot. On one seemingly normal day when Kestrel is perusing the market she finds a young slave up for auction and in a rapid turning of events becomes the new owner of Arin, a nineteen year old who changes her life and the lives of her empire forever.

I never want to be the negative one about anything but really I can’t lie and say that this book lived up to my expectations. I’m not sure what sort of standards I had going into the Winner’s Curse. I knew it was well held on Goodreads and it was about wealthy and beautiful people but past that, not much else. To me though, all throughout, it felt lacking in a quality that I can’t wholly put my finger on.

The story itself was interesting enough but the rebellion narrative has grown tired over the years of dystopian futures and high fantasy uprisings that have plagued YA for too long. There was a weird feeling that although all of the details I was learning about were new like the world, the customs, the people; sadly none of the actual storyline felt new.

The writing quality was good enough and it would be very difficult to argue that Rutkoski doesn’t have an extremely impressive grasp on words. Moreover the characters and settings were interesting and the topic of slavery and freedom was certainly explored very well. I don’t want it to seem as though I am overlooking all of these brilliant details because really these are all the ingredients to what should’ve been a great book and I do believe the Winner’s Curse could’ve been a great book and not just an OK one if it’s narrative was stronger and more unexpected.

I would recommend this book to you if you are looking for something that is similar to what you have read before in terms of rebellion, romance and deceit. Otherwise, there are so many more intriguing books out there waiting to be read!

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!
And thanks again Beth.