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. (From Goodreads)
Ladies and gentlemen, this is how a second book should be written. It's another thrilling and richly told story set in the same vibrant world we saw in Shadow and Bone. There are no fillers in this book. Alina faces real challenges and along with characters new and old, she stretches and grows. The new characters are so wonderful and I had some surprising reactions to the way some relationships affected me. I loved the new places Alina and Mal went, I loved that it starts out on the True Sea, and the new mythological creature is awesome. With every page, Alina's story gets more complex and this world just springs to life right in front of you.
Siege and Storm starts off with Mal and Alina on the run. We're taken to the high seas where there are sea-worthy men and a mythological monster. It's just incredible how Leigh Bardugo has created this world that breathes and it expands so effortlessly. You can start to imagine that this story just takes us to a small part of this world that just has to exist somewhere. I like that there are familiar places that resurface, but the time they spend on the run and at sea is really an awesome expansion to Alina's world.
Meeting Sturmhond is the one of my favorite things from this book. He's charming and dangerous and completely unpredictable. Most surprises came from him and he just totally captured my attention and my heart. I'm not saying I think he should be with Alina, I'm just saying he's a wonderful, wonderful character. I also like that we saw a lot more of him and not as much of the Darkling. I'm still a little bitter at the Darkling for making me trust him.
By the end of this book, I actually felt like Mal and Alina should not be together. When I realized I was feeling this way I had to step back and try to figure out how that happened. Because Mal is perfect and he and Alina are perfect in Shadow and Bone. I think Alina just grows so much - into her power and into herself - that she becomes this incredible force and beautiful character, while Mal kind of moves in the opposite direction. He deteriorates as she gets stronger, and I really hate to say it, but he's holding her back. I already know that other people won't agree with this and I'm all for rooting for two people really meant to be together to get through a rough patch. But, I can't help but think this isn't just a rough patch, but two people legitimately growing apart. I guess we'll see.
I'm so happy the second book holds up to the high bar set by Shadow and Bone. It continued to weave an intricate story line that just seems to get bigger and bolder with every page. And it definitely kept me on my toes. I have no idea where it's going to go from here and I've stopped trying to guess. I whole-heartedly put my imagination in the hands of Leigh Bardugo and I know she'll do amazing things with it.
