Guest Review from Erin: Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo
Ruin and Rising is the third AND last book in the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo!! If you guys have read my previous reviews for Shadow and Bone and Seige and Storm, you will know that I LOVE this trilogy!! It is absolutely one of my favorite series and Leigh Bardugo is one of my favorite favorite authors!! So without further ago...
From Goodreads:
The capital has fallen.
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.
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.
Erin's Thoughts:
I heard a lot about Ruin and Rising before I even read it. There was a ton of buzz going around and honestly, that kind of stuff always tends to worry me mainly because one, I don't want ANY spoilers and I truly mean any -- even the smallest details that seem insignificant -- and two I had heard such great things about this book that I was worried I would be disappointed by it, especially since it is the last of the series!
Fortunately, I was not disappointed!! Leigh Bardugo's amazingness really knows no bounds!!! I LOVED this book!! It was one of the best endings to a trilogy/series EVER!!! It was so beautifully and wonderfully done and I could not imagine a more perfect ending!! Be assured that you will in no way be disappointed by this book!!
Everything that I love about the first two books carries on into the third plus more! I've mentioned this before, but one of my favorite parts about this series is that Grisha world is incredibly well-built; it's detailed, full, and rich, and so distinct without being completely weird!! there's just nothing like it!! As well as world building, Leigh Bardugo is amazing at creating awesome characters that you grow to love!! Love Alina, love Mal, and love even the Darkling! One character that stood out to me particularly in Ruin and Rising was Zoya! She's such an awful person in the first book, torturing and bullying Alina, but in the third, she turns out to be such a great character without sacrificing the sarcasm and snark that made her so terrible in Shadow and Bone. There also is a wonderful wonderful twist that I never in a million years would have guessed!! It's (at least for me) something I would never have seen coming!! And it's so brilliant!! Which is something, I really appreciate in a book because I LOVE that feeling of OHMYGOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT HAPPENED! And unfortunately, it doesn't seem to happen too often...UGH!!! And the end!!! I can honestly say that Ruin and Rising is one of THE BEST endings to a book I have ever read!!! It's THE MOST PERFECT ending to a series ever and I could not have asked for anymore!! Without giving anything away, I'll say that it was equally tragic, heartbreaking, hopeful, and beautifully stunning. It's really everything that I could have ever asked for in an ending!! Just absolutely so beautiful!! I'm still not over it and it's been a little more than two weeks since I read it.
So if this wasn't blatantly obvious already, my overall rating...
From Goodreads:
The capital has fallen.
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.
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.
Erin's Thoughts:
I heard a lot about Ruin and Rising before I even read it. There was a ton of buzz going around and honestly, that kind of stuff always tends to worry me mainly because one, I don't want ANY spoilers and I truly mean any -- even the smallest details that seem insignificant -- and two I had heard such great things about this book that I was worried I would be disappointed by it, especially since it is the last of the series!
Fortunately, I was not disappointed!! Leigh Bardugo's amazingness really knows no bounds!!! I LOVED this book!! It was one of the best endings to a trilogy/series EVER!!! It was so beautifully and wonderfully done and I could not imagine a more perfect ending!! Be assured that you will in no way be disappointed by this book!!
Everything that I love about the first two books carries on into the third plus more! I've mentioned this before, but one of my favorite parts about this series is that Grisha world is incredibly well-built; it's detailed, full, and rich, and so distinct without being completely weird!! there's just nothing like it!! As well as world building, Leigh Bardugo is amazing at creating awesome characters that you grow to love!! Love Alina, love Mal, and love even the Darkling! One character that stood out to me particularly in Ruin and Rising was Zoya! She's such an awful person in the first book, torturing and bullying Alina, but in the third, she turns out to be such a great character without sacrificing the sarcasm and snark that made her so terrible in Shadow and Bone. There also is a wonderful wonderful twist that I never in a million years would have guessed!! It's (at least for me) something I would never have seen coming!! And it's so brilliant!! Which is something, I really appreciate in a book because I LOVE that feeling of OHMYGOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT HAPPENED! And unfortunately, it doesn't seem to happen too often...UGH!!! And the end!!! I can honestly say that Ruin and Rising is one of THE BEST endings to a book I have ever read!!! It's THE MOST PERFECT ending to a series ever and I could not have asked for anymore!! Without giving anything away, I'll say that it was equally tragic, heartbreaking, hopeful, and beautifully stunning. It's really everything that I could have ever asked for in an ending!! Just absolutely so beautiful!! I'm still not over it and it's been a little more than two weeks since I read it.
So if this wasn't blatantly obvious already, my overall rating...
Wish I could give it more than that (like a bajillion bookies!!), but I'll stick to the regular 1-5 scale! Anyways, I cannot emphasize more clearly how much I love the Grisha Trilogy and I cannot recommend it enough! Leigh Bardugo is an absolutely fantastic writer and I'm only sad that I'll have to wait a while before her next series (The Dregs, a new duology set in the Grisha world) comes out!! A series I will definitely be reading over and over. In fact, right after I finished Ruin and Rising, I got a really strong urge to read it again! So I'll probably be doing that when I get some free time!!
Erin @The Romance Bookie :)
I still haven't read Shadow and Bone, but I've heard so many good things about this series! I've heard mixed things about this one, though, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. The twist sounds especially awesome. Great review, Erin! :)
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