Book Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co. (June 7, 2014)

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 422

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.

Finally, the last book in the series!!!! The frustration of not having a copy of this book ready in my hands when I finished Siege and Storm was a real struggle. My feeling when I started it was somehow bittersweet. It made me feel as if I’m going to be saying goodbye to the characters who I have grown to love.

Back to the story, it started out pretty slow with Alina still recovering from her confrontation with The Darkling. The Apparat was annoying and creepy as always. Oh that moment of victory when Alina, Mav, and company beat the Apparat in ruling “Alina’s faithful followers” was pure bliss. Badass moments in books make my day.

Saints. This book played with every emotion that I was capable of having. I want everyone to be safe and sound including the Darkling but except the Apparat ( I really don’t like him). Ugh and what happened to Baghra and Nikolai, it just really broke my heart. I told you, those characters make me love them.

The whole time I was reading Ruin and Rising, I kept on hoping, hoping that The Darkling would be redeemed. I was praying that he would change but there are things we cannot have.

This book is a masterpiece!. I highly recommend it. Miss Bardugo, you have an exceptional writing style. Kudos! I am so pumped up for Six of Crows!

 

Book Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher:  Square Fish (June 4, 2013)

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 435

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Darkness never dies.
Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.
The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.
Siege and Storm is the second book in The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.

After finishing Shadow and Bone, I cannot help but be obsessed to get the copy of Siege and Storm. So days after, as soon as I can go to the bookstore, I bought this treasure. Honestly, the last chapter of the first book in the series almost made me have a heart attack. I mean, you never know what the Darkling could do. I love him but he is pretty much scary.

Anyway, we continue our journey with Alina and Mal in an unfamiliar land. Both of them hiding their true identities to avoid the wrath of The Darkling. Until one day, their luck runs out and they are forced to come with him. They board a ship with the privateer, Sturmhond and his crew. They journeyed to find Alina’s second key to becoming more powerful.

 

It still was an engrossing read. There were plot twists that I really did not see coming. All the new additions to the list of characters made me enjoy it more. I especially loved Sturmhond. I didn’t expect him to be someone so important in Ravka. I also love the loyalty of his crew. His charm and humor brought some brightness to the darkness of the theme of the book. I also confess that I also shipped him with Alina. ❤

Although I enjoyed the plot and the character additions, I think the pacing was a bit slow. There are moments when I just want to jump out to my most awaited scene on the book. They had these preparations and training and stuff but there were times, I’m all like.. “I WANT THE ACTION!!!”. My Darkling dose was also minimal in this book. I think I miss him like Alina did. Oh and the apparition effect between them was impressive. Pretty much anything the Grishas can make me envious of them. 😀

Anyhoo, the last chapters made me sitting on the edge. The confrontation between our main characters was intense. Ms. Bardugo wrote it amazingly. Again, I will say that it was as if I am watching a movie.

I think I liked Shadow and Bone better than this one. It’s just because I felt like I expected to read more action scenes and more Darkling, of course. I still really enjoyed it though, thanks to last few chapters which blew my mind away.

Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Title: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #1)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books (January 4, 2013)

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

One look at the cover of this book, and you’ll think that it’s creepy. Like I said before I do judge a book by its cover. I thought this book is going to be a lot scary and with bunch of ghosts. I better stop judging books by its cover then. Lol. If it weren’t for the people who told me that Miss peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is not scary at all, I wouldn’t have picked it up and read it. Why? Because I have low tolerance for reading/watching scary stuff.

Back to the book, it’s about Jacob Portman who grew up to the fantastic stories told to him by his grandpa, Abraham. His grandfather’s stories are all about this mysterious place where children with peculiar talents and features live with a woman/bird , named Miss Peregrine who is their headmistress and guardian. Grandpa Abe also says that he has fought monstrous creatures over the years. Jacob believed them as a child but now that he’s sixteen, he thought that his grandfather are just making them all up.

When Jacob found his grandpa dying at the woods outside his house, his grandfather’s last words were for him to find the loop and save himself from the monsters that attacked him. Jacob, traumatized by what happened, sets off to discover the mysteries that surround his grandpa’s past.

This is actually a remarkable read. With pictures included, I’m sure you’ll be sucked into Jacob and the peculiars’ world. When I started reading it, I think the pacing was a bit slow but I understand though that the story is just building. I think Jacob is a character that is enjoyable to have a journey with. He’s just an average teenage boy who’s got an ordinary life. Then, all of a sudden, he gets to be in this magical loop where there are peculiar children who could do peculiar things.

I love reading about the peculiar children. All of which are very funny to read about. My favorites are Millard, Brownyn, and Olive. Enoch is just ugh..so irritating. Oh and then, there’s Emma..a girl who had a past with Jacob’s grandfather. I just find it really awkward when they began interested with each other. Though I guess, they were pretty good together.

Halfway through the book, like Jacob, I found myself fascinated with the loop and its inhabitants. I can’t stop myself from wanting to read the book as fast as I could, to find out what happens next. The journey I had while reading this book is thrilling. But the thing is, I find the book short. The ending felt like it was written hurriedly. I understand that it has a sequel though. I just felt that the things happened so fast (in the latter chapters) so that the book can be wrapped up. Another problem that I had with Jacob is how easily he turned his back from his parents. I am just not really okay with that fact. I just wish that somehow when one enters a loop, the time from present will be paused but it’s not that way in the book.

Overall, I think that Miss Peregrine’s for Peculiar Children is riveting. The photos are all very interesting and will make you more curious to the story. Also,  it felt as though I was young again, enjoying this extraordinary adventure that these children are having. I recommend this book to readers who are into fantasy and adventure.