The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo | BOOK REVIEW

SHADOW AND BONE 

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I finally started this series and I really enjoyed this book. I think the world is unique and intricate and, while it took some focus and endless references back to the map and list of Grisha types, I got my head around the world.

I think Alina was a good protagonist. Is she going to be a favourite of mine? No. But she was fine. Mal, however, annoyed me at every opportunity. The entire time I was waiting for him to die off so… imagine my disappointment when they actually get together at the end of the book. Let’s hope the arrogant SOB is killed off some time soon.

Then we have the Darkling who… I actually quite liked. Sure, he’s evil and manipulative but he’s the most interesting and complex of all the characters. And the smartest. I can’t resist intellect and moral ambiguity. (It also helped that I was picturing him as Ben Barnes … that made it 100% easier to love him).

There was a cast of side characters and, honestly, they were all pretty forgettable except for Genya (who I loved). I don’t care that she works for the Darkling. Her friendship with Alina was pure and genuine and she was the most friendly and charismatic character in my opinion. (Evidently, I’m totally Team Darkling at this point).

The plot was executed smoothly but there were points that I thought were weak and could have been carried out better. We had the major plot twist of the Darkling’s true motives but this whole section felt lacklustre. We just had Baghra word-vomit everything at once and there was no tension built- it was dropped out of nowhere. Then the final act of the book had no momentum whatsoever. We spent chapter after chapter following Alina and Mal trudge through snow in near-silence and… it just fell flat. Especially leading into the climax, there was no build up of tension and I definitely wasn’t on the edge of my seat.

Overall, this was a good book and, while there were some plot choices that fell flat for me, I’m confident that the next books will get better and I have a lot of hope for this series.

SIEGE AND STORM

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I definitely enjoyed this more than the first. I was comfortable in the world and the story structure was stronger. We had some great action sequences and I also love the moral ambiguity in character arcs.

Nikolai singlehandedly got me through this book. He’s my fave! I was grinning shamelessly at every scene he was in. He brings a much-needed humour to this world. Without Nikolai, everyone would be miserable and whiny (maybe not Tamar or Tolya, but you get my point). But I also loved that he wasn’t just the comedic relief. He was smart, strategic, resourceful and more useful than all of the others combined. My only disappointment in Nikolai is that he seems to have a crush on Alina and… you can do so much better, Nikolai.

After reading the first book, I liked Alina while Mal annoyed the heck out of me. Now… Alina AND Mal annoy the heck out of me. They didn’t communicate and it got on my nerves! I understand they’re going through some heavy things but all they did was mope. They didn’t discuss their troubles and it made everything worse. But, as a ship, they equally irritate me so, as far as I’m concerned, they deserve each other. No doubt they’ll be endgame.

I thought Alina’s inner struggle between her morals and power is interesting. I love it when characters start to see the villain in themselves and Alina’s anger issues and increasing obsession with the firebird was a great plot-thread. I don’t love the Darkling in the same way as I did in the first book, but he’s a great antagonist. I do still love Genya, though. Genya and David are maybe my fave ship in this series. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book but struggled at times due to my dislike of the main characters. If it wasn’t for Nikolai, it would have been a painful read. I’m looking forward to finishing the trilogy solely because then I can move on to Six of Crows! I love the SoC characters so can’t wait to re-read it with fresh eyes and better knowledge of the world. Then I can read Crooked Kingdom for the first time and then see more Nikolai in King of Scars! So yeah… I’m excited to finish this series simply to get onto better books.

RUIN AND RISING

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This was definitely my favourite of the entire series. The characters were only marginally annoying and I liked a lot of the action sequences and dialogues between the characters. I do wish there was more of Nikolai in this book though- he was in a criminally small amount of scenes.

In terms of Alina and Mal, I didn’t mind them in this book, but they’ll never be my favourites. They FINALLY got together at the very of this book which was just the longest journey of my life. Nikolai was still constantly proposing to Alina which infuriated me to no end- Nikolai, what have I told you? You deserve better!

I really liked the dynamics with a lot of the other characters in this book too. I liked seeing the whole group together and joking around with each other- even Zoya! I also fell in love with Nadia and Tamar- they were definitely the best ship in this series. Try to change my mind, I dare you.

We had some great action sequences which I really loved and some great plot twists! I thought Nikolai turning into that hybrid nichevo’ya thing was cool and I can’t wait to see the true psychological impacts of that in King of Scars. I also loved that Mal was the third amplifier and part of Morozova’s bloodline- I did not see any of that coming! It was a great addition to the book, even though it was painfully obvious he wouldn’t die for good at the end.

I was a little underwhelmed with the final battle. As soon as Alina killed Mal, her power went to the Sol Soldat and they did the work of taking down the Fold for her. And then, to top it all off, she bested the Darkling with a simple stab to the chest. I wanted more from that final climax, but I made my peace with that.

Overall, this was a decent series but I can’t see me rereading it much or it being a favourite of mine. I’m much more excited to jump into Six of Crows and the other books, though, with a better understanding of the world.