Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (Grisha #2)

Siege and Storm (Grisha Trilogy #2)
Leigh Bardugo
Published: June 4, 2013 (Henry Holt and Co)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review Source: Purchased

Reviewed by:  Krista

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

At the end of Shadow and Bone, Alina and Mal have escaped across the sea after almost destroying the Darkling in the Unsea. An easy assumption would be that the next novel in the Grisha Trilogy would be involve them running from the Darkling and his forces to only be caught in the final scene.

And we would be wrong. Leigh Bardugo takes the reader in a totally unexpected direction. The villain catches up with our intrepid heroes by page sixteen.

The strength of Bardugo’s writing lies in her ability to make the reader empathize with her fictional creations—even the villains. But then the best villains are the ones who have the ability to sway you over to their side.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to work at my desk.

Long minutes passed. I didn’t think he would answer. I even had time to hope he might have gone, until I felt his hand on my shoulder.

“Then I’d be alone, too,” he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.”

Without the reader feeling as if they are being pulled in too many directions we’re invested in each of the characters even if we do not know their true intentions. Also the secondary characters added in this sequel are now some of my favorites in the series. I would happily spend more time with the dangerous twins Tolya and Tamar, and the mysterious Sturmhund.

The best thing about Siege and Storm is that it surprised me. More than once I was caught off guard with how events played out. In retrospect they completely make sense but because of Bardugo’s excellent misdirection I didn’t see them coming.

If you enjoy fantasy and complex character development, Siege and Storm is a must read.

Sexual content: Kissing