RoseBane (Jess)'s Reviews > Siege and Storm

5/5 stars.
This book was a thousand times better than the first.
The characters have improved, the plot has improved. It was thrilling, interesting, intriguing, it gave me the feeling that I couldn't put the book out of my hands. Anything that Lehigh Bardugo put into the plot in this book certainly helped the story. It's as if she saved herself with this plot.

The first addition I would like to point out is the pirates. I'm not sure what about you, but in my opinion, when pirates are involved, it's much more interesting. Although this is a bit of a risky matter, because a plot with pirates is very critical- either it's super excellent or it's bad. In this matter, the pirates saved Bardugo. Mostly Sturmhond, which I will mention later.

Let's talk about the darkling.
This fellow is invincible, how lovely, I'm all for it.
If you know me, you know how much I admire this character. Frankly, I think he’s the most intriguing character in this series. If it weren't for the darkling, these books wouldn't have been interesting.

In my review of the first book, I mentioned that Alina is a good character but not interesting enough. In this book her character is fantastic. Everything Alina has experienced made her to be a good character. And the biggest credit goes to the Darkling. Yes, him again. Applaud him, people, he deserves it. There’s nothing like a villain who deserves to be a villain.

Now, as I promised, there’s another character that I think has made this plot fascinating, and his nickname is Sturmhond, whose real name we discover in the middle of the book. This is a special, volatile character, totally intriguing. I found myself wishing to read more about him, to know him better. It’s so easy to love him, and it’s remarkable and commendable.

I'm not sure if I want to put Mal into this review, just as I wish he wasn't in the book. I know it sounds cruel, but I don't like him. And most importantly, I don't like his influence on Alina, unlike the other characters, who surround Alina and affect her (whether it's for the worse or for the better), it feels to me that Mal just lowers her even further to the bottom. On the other hand, I do know that if it wasn't for him, the plot would have been completely different, I don't know if for the better or not, and he did help Alina and was there for her. Maybe I just hope his character and influence were a little different.
In the first book he was like a distant figure, found mainly in Alina's thoughts. But he's an important character in this book, and I really wished he wasn't. Half of the book Alina worried and thought about Mal, which is tiring.

In addition, I would like to commend Leigh Bardugo for her writing. She writes excellently, her style is incredible and that makes her books more interesting. There’s a feeling in the background of a fog that makes everything invisible except what is on your hands.
I really liked the attention she gave Alina in this book. Like I said, Alina's character has improved. In this book, Alina realized that she and the darkling are equally unique and probably also just as powerful. Alina finally believes in her ability and ready to fight the Darkling , she even stole his spot, lol. I was so proud of her.
And I was proud of the darkling too. He survives, brave, charismatic, and oh my, how much I die for his sensitivity to Alina. I don't usually do that, but this time I definitely wish they were together. They are so matched, and he’s so right that no one can understand her the way he understands her.

I know there are other characters in the book that are worth talking about, but I decided not to overdo my reviews because they are always overly long, so I'll end the review here, thank you for reading.

P.S. Oh my God! My sweet Jenna?!?!?!