Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Review by James Lamb (Aug. 17, 2014)
Ruin and Rising is the third and final installment of Leigh Bardugo's fascinating and imaginative Grisha series. The books take place in a land called Ravka, which is controlled by a Monarchy with an uneasy alliance with a group known as the Grisha - humans who have special powers, drawing from the elements around them from what are called the small sciences. Some produce wind or fire, others have special skills in alchemy or healing. Our heroine, Alina, discovers in the first book that she is a very rare Grisha, capable of bringing forth light. Ravka is a kingdom also geographically divided a desert, shrouded in darkness cuts off most of the country from the sea and the opportunities for trade that come with it. By book three, we've learned the cause of the dark desert (called "the unsea") and we've been on a journey to try to end it.
This is a YA book, so while we've lost one suiter, another arises so that Alina still has a conflict there to contend with. It's not much of a conflict for her, but while she's made her decision and she's confident in it, politics and position prevent it from being the slam dunk she'd like it to be.
I don't want to say a lot about this book because I strongly recommend you read the entire trilogy unspoiled. But it is a well-conceived world, a really enjoyable read and a satisfactory ending.
There's some great supplemental content on the author's website as well.
Ruin and Rising is the third and final installment of Leigh Bardugo's fascinating and imaginative Grisha series. The books take place in a land called Ravka, which is controlled by a Monarchy with an uneasy alliance with a group known as the Grisha - humans who have special powers, drawing from the elements around them from what are called the small sciences. Some produce wind or fire, others have special skills in alchemy or healing. Our heroine, Alina, discovers in the first book that she is a very rare Grisha, capable of bringing forth light. Ravka is a kingdom also geographically divided a desert, shrouded in darkness cuts off most of the country from the sea and the opportunities for trade that come with it. By book three, we've learned the cause of the dark desert (called "the unsea") and we've been on a journey to try to end it.
This is a YA book, so while we've lost one suiter, another arises so that Alina still has a conflict there to contend with. It's not much of a conflict for her, but while she's made her decision and she's confident in it, politics and position prevent it from being the slam dunk she'd like it to be.
I don't want to say a lot about this book because I strongly recommend you read the entire trilogy unspoiled. But it is a well-conceived world, a really enjoyable read and a satisfactory ending.
There's some great supplemental content on the author's website as well.
Shadow and Bone (My Review, Amazon
Seige and Storm (My Review, Amazon
)
Ruin and Rising (Amazon
)
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