Review ~ Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)
by Leigh Bardugo
YA High Fantasy
Published: June 4th 2013
Goodreads Link

Blurb:

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.

My Review: 

**4.5 Stars**

MY OVERVIEW: Wow! Where do I start? I absolutely loved Shadow and Bone and gave it my rare 5 star rating. Siege and Storm is a fantastic continuation of Alina's story, and picks up right where Shadow and Bone left off.

PROS: There are a lot of great new adventures and fantastic new characters. Who is my favorite new character? Hmm... maybe Nikolai. Sorry for all you Mal fans out there, but I think I might actually like Nikolai more.

CONS: I wasn't thrilled with the bits of steampunk thrown into the book-even though I am a big steampunk fan. It just didn't quite fit in the world Leigh Bardugo created. I also was not a fan of Mal in this book. As expected as his transformation was, it really made you unsure of him and Alina together.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Ok, wiping away tears from the ending of the book and wondering where the next one is. Once again, Leigh Bardugo has created a fantastic story that leaves you not-so-patiently waiting for more.