General Info
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Published June 2014 By Henry Holt & Co.
(SPOILERS)
422 Pages
Plot Summary
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.
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.
My Personal Favorites
This book is an epic conclusion to one of my all time favorite series. So the story begins with Alina and her crew underground basically being held captive by the Apparat. Alina is getting weaker and weaker by the second and her power is basically gone since she isn't in reach of the sun. She is also separated from Mal and the rest of her friends but not for long. They come up with a plan and it goes right. They quickly leave and now have to search for the firebird, but instead have a slight setback. While settling in the middle of the forest they are attacked by a militia. But our favorite guy Nikolai comes to the rescue. I love Nikolai so much btw. Anyway I'm going to stop telling the whole story and just state the main plot points. The attack at the Spinning Wheel took a detrimental toll on the good side. We lost Sergei, Banghra, Adrik's arm, and Nikolai is turned into a monster. This is one of my favorite scenes from the trilogy. It was so action packed.
In this book the Darkling showed us that he needed someone like him and it broke my heart to see him die at the end. He was just too powerful and burdened with a life that would last for an eternity. I actually really enjoyed the way Alina could visit the Darkling without actually being there. We also saw him break after Banghra died and I am glad that Alina had a proper burial for him even though he was the bad guy. Honestly the Darkling is my favorite antagonist up to date.
In this book we definitely get to know Genya, David, Nadia, Tamar, Tolya, Zoya, Adrik, and our newest additions Misha and Harshaw. At first I didn't really think twice about these characters but I definitely grew to love them in this last book. I can't even choose a favorite because they are all just that great.
When we found out that Mal was the third amplifier, I knew that we were going to have to kill him. But before that we got the Mal and Alina sex scene and I really enjoyed it, It wasn't too graphic but it wasn't kid friendly either. I cried so hard when Alina stabbed him during the big battle at the end because I could have sworn that he was gone for good. But I am glad that he isn't.
People say they don't like the ending but I think that it was a great ending for this series. I was kind of sad that Alina lost her power and didn't get the destiny she deserved but she lived a happy life with Mal and Misha. Nikolai is alive so that's a plus too. Honestly I was Team Nikolai since book two so I was a little disappointed when Alina ended up marrying Mal but at least Nikolai will be in Six of Crows.
There are a lot more favorites but this post is way too long.
My Personal Dislikes
The only thing that I can say is that I missed the Darkling a lot in this book.
Rating
5/ 5 Stars
My Final Thoughts
I love this trilogy so much and it is bittersweet to see it end. I can't wait to read more from Leigh Bardugo in the future so I'll definitely be buying Six of Crows next month.
See you in the next post.
~Naya J.
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