Liz* ~ Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Buddy Read con Marina

Complications appeared, doubts of succeeding emerged, the villain was even more evil and our heroine evolved while a jerk ruined it all for everybody. A Love Rectangle managed to freak me out (even if it was technically a love pentagon) and the love interest had his little rant. There was a little twist and in the end, the heroine did the right thing and it costed her.

The Characters:

One of the things I really enjoyed about Siege and Storm was Alina's internal battle between Good (saving everybody, fulfill her destiny, be near Mal) and Evil (kissing the Darkling in the hunger for power and control). As an orphan, she had always been invisible and powerless. Now she was the Empire's only hope but she didn't know how to help them. There was gossip and scheme in the Palace but that wasn't the bad news: The Grisha weren't willing to recognize her just as easily. Alina proved to be ready to kick some butts and after a few weeks in the Palace she showed excellent leadership.

Mal was a much more complex character. If you don't put yourself in his shoes you may think he was just an annoying, insecure boy with a need to over-control Alina's moves. But I think I got to understand him. He was an orphan too, and all he had was his sense of purpose, being a solder, a tracker. After accepting his love for Alina, he not only gave up to his military rank but also his freedom. He was indeed just a small piece in a big puzzle and I understand his loneliness and helplessness. He loved Alina but he not only didn't know how to help her but he knew he was losing her as well. That sucked. I have to say that after reading this, I'm worry about this two, I think something extraordinary must happen if they want to be together. I'm not sure if they are really what the other one needs and even more, I'm not sure if love drama is what Alina needs right now.

I loved Sturmhond. I think he was one of the best additions here. If a clever-eyed, handsome and self-confident fox was not enough to charm me, he also proved to be loyal to his people and really care for the Empire. The Darkling had been my favorite in Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1) and even if we didn't get to see him as much as I'd wanted, every time he appeared things got interesting. And that's a shame, he is the best character in the series.

The Ending:

Well, I didn't see that coming. Alina couldn't stand the idea of being a Saint or savor but after everything that happened, the people they'd lost and almost giving up her own life she finally understood this was her fate. I think we're gonna see a so much strong Alina in the last installment, I can't wait to see what she's gonna do to save the Empire from The Darkling's terror.

Overall, I'm satisfied. Not thrilled, but satisfied. As the second act of a trilogy, it's not always easy to maintain a reader's high expectations. We readers, can imagine what's gonna happen and even venture a possible ending but is the writer who must give me a freaking-amazing-OMG cliffhanger exciting enough to trade my own mother for the next book but not too extreme so I decide to drop the series. Bardugo's writing was not only beautiful but her ability to describe this world, Alina's loneliness and struggle without losing some sweet and funny moments between characters was one of the thinks I really enjoyed.