Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo ~The conclusion of a trilogy~

                Happy Monday!  So jumping right in today with another book review.  This one will wrap up a the Grisha Trilogy.  That's right, Ruinand Rising by Leigh Bardugo.  I've been reviewing this series for the last month and the links for the first two books are found at Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm.  As this is the wrap up of the series there will be some spoilers if you haven't read the first two books.  Be warned.

Rating: 5 Stars

                I really liked this entire series. I have seen where some people lost the plot at points or had other issues throughout but for me it was a quick and enjoyable read.  I also had the benefit of reading all three back to back and didn't have to take the time to dive back into the world between books, which from experience can make some books lose a bit of love.  We left things in a bit of a precarious spot.  Alina almost died and her people are beaten down and also they are living with the creepy Apparat and the zealots who worship her as their Saint.  Still even as their Saint she has no power.  She still needs to find the last amplifier, the elusive firebird to have a hope of finally defeating the Darkling once and for all.  Oh and she still hopes everyones favorite outlaw Prince Nikolai survived the attack and got away.  She has to make new alliances and put aside her issues with some to find the amplifier.  Still as she gets closer to the bird she comes closer to understanding why she and the Darkling are connects and as she gets closer to claiming the last amplifier she understands she could save the world for everyone but lose her own future.

                Okay I will say right off the back, I did have part of it pegged from the start.  I'd had suspicions from the first book.  Things did play out differently in the way it happens but overall I was on point.  Still I enjoyed the journey.  I enjoyed the battles that took a lot out of everyone and pushed our group to their limits.  I liked getting to know more about the past and how the amplifiers came to be.  We also finally got some of the answers to things we had been waiting for since book one.  Everything came full circle. 

                Ruin and Rising kept everything going, from the action and adventure on their quest while also fighting a war to the internal conflict and drama of our main characters.  Even the romance was in there, and for me I liked the way it was there but not the most important aspect when the world is on the line.  Mal and Alina had a job to do.  We also got to have some much needed cute moments, as the book is rather dark.  Genya was one of those.  I was upset with her through most of the previous book.  I wasn't sure even reading this if I trusted her 100% given her betrayal but I loved that Alina made herself clear that she was not to be mocked still standing up for her.  Then when she had to face the king, and she stood up to him and told him that she used her body against him just as he did.  I just loved that and it cleared up any lingering doubt I had about her.  And David!  OMG I just adore that man, he is so cute.  Nik also really shows his stuff there and shows he will be a good and true leader one day.

                For me Ruin and Rising really took everything from the first two books and just rounded it all out into a great adventure.  I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how broken I would feel at the end but still I couldn’t look away.  I wanted to know more.  I had to know.  Bardugo has a way of weaving everything together and making no character truly white or black but all shades of grey.  Everyone has evil inside of them, it's life.  But what you do and how you choose to live your life is another beast all together.  That really came through.  And the world of the Grisha was simply so flushed out, even the dark and evil bits that are creepy as hell, you don't want to leave it.  Though thankfully Six of Crows is out tomorrow and it apparently takes place in the same world so I'm excited to have more of the world to live in. 

                 That's all I have for this one.  I recommend anyone who enjoys a good journey/quest story, or just a high fantasy read.  Also any who started the series but might have doubted it to give it a try and see how it all wraps up.  How can you not know?  Share with me below in the comments your thoughts and feels?  Did you see the ending coming?  Were you satisfied?  What was your favorite part?    Let's discuss like the book nerds we are! 

                Until next time…

Such pretty covers!  And the all match!