Review - Ruin and Rising

Ruin and Rising

Title: Ruin and Rising 
Series: Shadow and Bone (Goodreads)
Publisher: Orion  
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Author: Leigh Bardugo  

Age Group: YA

Source: Amazon UK (Purchased)

Review

Bardugo is a fantastic writer and the final book in the GrishaVerse trilogy left me in absolute awe of the story and characters that she created. Having read the previous two books in this series I was definitely psyched to see how Ruin and Rising would end, I can undoubtedly say that I was not disappointed. In contrast to the first two books I did feel that Ruin and Rising started out a little slower, the pacing before the main action began did take me a little longer to get into the excitement of this book and finale, but once I got over the initial slowness I raced through this book mainly because of the fantastic depth of the world building and the interactions between the cast of characters. I personally feel that the beginning slowness was a result of this book being the final in the trilogy and had to purposefully build up to the main climatic action of the battle between Alina and the Darkling. Because if there had been too much before this then it would have maybe been written as a longer series rather than a trilogy and if there had been too much stuffed into the final book it would not have resulted in a satisfying resolutory finale that we got.

For me, you cannot write a fantasy series without the addition of fantasy creatures and Bardugo certainly included her fair share of them within this trilogy. If you own the more recent book covers with the picture of the fantasy creatures (the stag, sea whip, and firebird) on them then you were probably one of the readers, like myself, who was excited to see how Bardugo included them in the series. As I read all three books I found that the story wasn’t just about the final battle between Alina and the Darkling but it felt to me that the other main driving plot was the hunt for the fantastical creatures. Therefore, I felt that throughout my reading of the first two books and Ruin and Rising in particular there was a huge build up and expectation drawn out for the reader to finally meet these creatures. I won’t give away too much but I think the depiction may divide some readers over whether they were satisfied with the overall time and depth spent on the climatic potential meetings of these creatures (not just in Ruin and Rising but the other two books as well).

Although the main driving plot of this book is the build up to the battle between Alina and the Darkling what I loved most was the interactions and personal journeys of the characters before the climatic battle. In the previous book Alina and a few select Grisha were forced to flee the Darkling and so Ruin and Rising gave these few Grisha a chance to develop as individuals and redeem themselves with the readers. Personally, I loved the interactions between Alina and the other Grisha as this gave her and the readers a chance to see Alina interact and develop a relationship with others like herself (in the previous books she had felt isolated from them) and allowed her to come to terms with who she was and how it was partially up to herself whether she allowed herself to connect with others like herself. For example, there is a scene that I think was rather key to helping the Grisha as a group connect and develop their relationships with one another (not just for Alina with each Grisha) when they discuss their individual struggles and lessons with Baghra: 

‘Harshaw snorted. “I set fire to her hut in class.” […] “Accidentally! She refused to ever teach me again. Wouldn’t even speak to me. I saw her on the grounds once, and she walked right by. Didn’t say a word, just whacked me on the knee with her stick. I still have a lump.” He yanked up his trouser leg, and sure enough, there was a knob of bone visible beneath the skin. “That’s nothing,” Nadia said, her cheeks pinking as we all turned our attention to her. “I had some kind of block where I couldn’t summon for a while. She put me in a room and released a hive of bees in it.” “What?” I squeaked. It wasn’t just the bees that had shocked me. I’d struggled to summon for months at the Little Palace, and Baghra had never mentioned that other Grisha got blocks.’

I do feel that Alina as the main protagonist definitely developed as an individual. But it is the supporting Grisha, Zoya, that I felt had developed significantly as an individual in this series and Ruin and Rising itself. Zoya and Alina were not always agreeable with one another and though they are not able to resolve all their differences I think that in Ruin and Rising they begin that process and there is the potential to see a better relationship between the characters. Also who doesn’t love some of the quips from Zoya:

“Perfect,” said Zoya. “From a tunnel to a tomb. What’s next, an outing to a slaughterhouse?”

Synopsis (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.

Key Quotes 

‘The monsters name was Izumrud, the great worm, and there were those who claimed he had made the tunnels that ran beneath Ravka […] it was easy to believe that Izumrud still lived somewhere, waiting to be woken by the call of heroes, dreaming of the fine meal he would have if only some hapless child would walk into his mouth. A beast like rests; it does not die.’ 

‘The Saint rattled the bars of her underground cage. This was her war, and she demanded freedom to fight it.' 

“War is the price of change.” “And its ordinary people who pay it, peasants like me. Never men like you.”

“Yes, yes,” said Zoya. “The Sun Summoner can summon. And all it took was a few deaths and a minor explosion.” “You blew something up?” said Harshaw plaintively. “Without me?”

'The rest of us waited for the gangway to be lowered, then shuffled off the barge. “Impressive,” Mal said. I shook my head in wonder. “How does he do it?” “Want to know my secret?” Nikolai asked from behind us. We both jumped. He leaned in, looked from left to right, and whispered loudly, “I have a lot of money.” I rolled my eyes. “No, really,” he protested. “A lot of money.”

'Nikolai tapped the ring. “Console yourself knowing that, should you ever punch me while wearing it, you’ll probably take my eye out. And I’d very much like you to. Wear it, that is. Not punch me.” 

Similar reads

Sorcery of Thorns, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, The Shadows Between Us, Serpent & Dove

Afterthoughts

I absolutely loved the sass between Alina and Nikolai. And I really enjoyed the scenes with David and Harshaw too as some of the ragtag Grisha clan.

What did you think of the fantastical creatures?

Who was your favourite character from this book or from the whole trilogy?

Do you think the Darkling was truly a villain with no redemption or was he potentially another victim of the society he was born to?

Were you satisfied with the conclusion of this trilogy? 

Have you read the other works set in the Grisha world? 

Are you looking forward to the tv adaptation?