Book Review + Discussion: Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo
12:00:00 PM
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Published: June 17, 2014 by Henry Holt & Co.
Rating: ★★★★ 4/5 stars
Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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.
As the conclusion to this thrilling
trilogy, Ruin & Rising gets a mixed review from me. I would have to say
that this is my favorite book of the three, even though I really dislike the
way the series ended. There are a million different strong points in this novel
that all contribute to why I love it so much, but there are just a few things
that grated on my nerves. For the purpose of giving a fair review, I will do my
best to keep it as spoiler-free as possible. However I will also discuss in
detail the parts I liked and dislike about the way the book ended, with fair
warning as to where the spoilers begin and end. I have a lot of opinions about this book that I just reeeeally want to get
out there! So consider yourself warned if you haven’t read this book yet!
Okay, starting with the
SPOILER-FREE review:
I adore Leigh’s writing voice. It
is so strong and defined, especially by the third book in the series. Leigh has
this way of capturing the reader with beautiful one-lines. I am consistently
floored by the magnitude of meaning in each of these lines. Each book has its
standout lines, but for some reason this one had the most that meant something
to me, most importantly the well-known “I am not ruined. I am ruination.”
uttered by Genya Safin. Other favorites of mine include "In this moment he was just a boy -brilliant,
blessed with too much power, burdened by eternity," "I am an
apt pupil,” "I'm the Sun Summoner. It gets dark when I say
it does," and the question that has plagued Alina since the first
book, “What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men;” along with plenty
of Nikolai’s trademark witty humor. Yet at the same time, Leigh can turn
on a dime and deliver witty and snarky humor with ease, and it feels so natural
and never out of place. To me, that’s what makes this series so special. The
standout lines and the wonderful and cohesive voice that Leigh has just bring
the entire thing to another level for me.
The conclusion to the trilogy, we
follow Alina and her friends as they escape the grasp of the Apparat and try to
gather enough forces to bring down the Darkling once and for all. To me the
journey was satisfying; the destination, however, wasn’t. I loved the story
right up until the very apex of the action at the end. More on that later, though.
As you should know by now, the Darkling is my favorite character in the whole
series, while Mal is my least favorite. I was really hoping for a stronger
Darkling presence in this book, and while he was included more than he was in
the previous book, it wasn’t enough for me! There were moments where I found
Mal to be tolerable, but I was constantly craving more Darkling. The scenes
that involved Alina and the Darkling were absolutely beautiful, I cried in
pretty much all of them. This book is definitely one that will tear at your
emotions.
While this book was very
fast-paced, I found that some points dragged for me because I felt as though I
knew how the book was going to end. The ending was in clear view by the
midpoint of the book, but I usually just pass this off as the fact that I’m a
creative writing student who has read enough books and written enough pieces of
my own to pick up on cues and tell what will happen at the end. This isn’t the
first book where I have experienced this, and it isn’t a testament to the
writer’s abilities but to the fact that I’ve spent the last four years studying
the formula to a story arc. Did that make sense? I hope it did. No matter, I
was never really bored by this book, so the mini-slumps I fell into usually
only lasted about a day or so. And, as it turns out, my predictions for the end
were somewhat incorrect.
I adored the characters in this
book, for the most part. Tolya, Tamar, and Nikolai were a welcome addition to
the cast of characters in Siege and Storm, and their continued presence in the
third book added a certain depth to the characterization of the whole novel.
Each character had a clearly defined personality, and I was very glad to see my
second-favorite character, Genya, make her return after so long not knowing
what happened to her. Her storyline played out in a beautiful way, despite her
struggles (to say the least). Baghra, Tolya, Tamar, Nadia, Zoya, and Harshaw
all furthered the story by leaps and bounds; without them, the story wouldn’t
be as emotionally charged. Can I say that Oncat was my favorite character in
this novel? Forget the Darkling. Yeah, Oncat is my new favorite. Silly cat.
Altogether, this book sent me into
an emotional tizzy from start to finish. When I say emotional rollercoaster,
the last third of the book is the very definition of one. I loved everything
about this novel EXCEPT for the ending! Which, if you have read the novel and
wish to see just why I was so displeased, continue reading. Go ahead and scroll
to the very bottom of this post for my wrap up, which will be bolded as usual.
Be warned, SPOILERS AHEAD.
DiscussionAt this point, consider yourself sufficiently warned against the spoilers to come. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
DiscussionAt this point, consider yourself sufficiently warned against the spoilers to come. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I never expected to care so much
about the villain of this story. I don’t know what it is about the Darkling
that makes me love him so, but his story is such an intense and layered one
that I can’t help it. He is every facet evil and, well, dark to the core; but
inside of this there still lies a man whose desires are simply to never be
alone, to share his unique abilities with someone just as unique as he is. A
boy who never knew warmth or love, taught to harden himself to the affection of
others, he only knows power and brutality as a result. To put a name to this
face is to humanize someone who was before only seen as cold and unfeeling. The
fact that he told Alina his true name, Aleksander, shocked me and made me love
him more. To me, it proved there was still some part inside him that yearned
for a human connection, a part of him that was still redeemable. He wasn’t
beyond saving yet. And that, perhaps, is what was the most heartbreaking about
his death. I read the page where he dies over and over again the night I
finished this book, crying and crying with each re-read. His death hit me,
especially because even with his dying breaths he only wants someone to be
there with him, someone who would make him less alone. He asks Alina to say his
name once more before he dies. He did not die as the Darkling. He died as
Aleksander Morozova, a man burdened by the weight of his actions and a power
too special to bear alone.
Despite all this, my main problem
with the ending was Mal’s death. Or rather, his resurrection. Bringing somebody
back to life was only ever accomplished by Ilya Morozova so long ago, as we
learned from Baghra and the 230248563474 other times Alina referred to the fact
that resurrection was only ever accomplished ONCE BEFORE in ALL OF GRISHA HISTORY. So for Tolya and Tamar to
have set to work and just so easily have brought him back from the grave when
he had essentially bled out prior to their attempt to revive him? I was not
satisfied. We get absolutely no explanation for this! If the twins could bring
Mal back successfully, can they bring others back? If that’s the case, then why
didn’t they immediately haul ass over to where Harshaw lay dead?! Did I miss
something here? Was there an explanation given that I somehow just didn’t
read???? I demand answers here. I will not rest until I get them.
Lastly, the fact that Alina lost
her abilities gave me mixed emotions. I understand why Leigh did it, and the
fact that three amplifiers was just too much for Alina to handle is what led to
the loss (redistribution?) of her power made me, well, sad. While I understood
why it had to happen, the fact that no Grisha was ever meant to possess that
many amplifiers, I felt like a limb was cut off. Alina was the Sun Summoner,
Sankta Alina, and now she had exhausted her abilities. If it were me in her position,
I would be utterly heartbroken. I couldn’t imagine a loss that magnanimous,
something that was such a big part of me just gone in an instant. And as we see
in the epilogue, it had a big effect on her in the long run. She missed that
part of herself she had gotten so used to.
I really don’t mean to sound as
though I’m complaining about this book, because that is definitely not my intention.
I loved this book with all my heart, the ending just didn’t sit right with me! I will always hold this series dear to me, nothing can change that.
What’s your favorite book in the Grisha trilogy? I’m
currently reading Six of Crows and noticing all the subtle references to the events
in the other Grisha books.
Did you enjoy my first discussion post? How did I do? Let me
know your thoughts and if you have anything eating away at you about the ending of
these books like I did!
While you're at it, go check out the soundtrack I made for this book here!
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