Review: Siege and Storm | Leigh Bardugo

This review is spoiler free.

“When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.”

Series: Shadow and Bone
Published: 2013, by Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 448
Format: eBook/Kindle Edition
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Magic, Fiction, Adventure, Paranormal
Contains: Strong Language, Death, Violence, Blood/Gore, Mutilation, Torture

‘Siege and Storm’ continues the story of Alina Starkov, whose power has grown but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner, hunted across the True Sea and haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long, as The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan Throne.

‘Siege and Storm’ was one of my highly anticipated reads of the month, being a little reluctant in the past to continue the story but wanting to before the release of the Netflix adaptation. Needless to say, I’m so glad I pursued this series.

Alina develops beautifully in this instalment, as her powers grow stronger and her life becomes heavy with the weight on her shoulders. She’s incredibly balanced, uncertain where her devotion lies and we uncover more of her inner turmoil in this instalment.
Sturmhond is my favourite character of the series, having his own secrets which come to light in that novel. He’s witty, strong and careful, making him a brilliant addition to the group and perking me up the more we discover about him.
Mal, however, still falls flat for me, not really sparking any emotion when it comes to his relationship with Alina. He’s quite self-driven, and frustrating at times, making his portions of the story dull and eye-roll worthy.

The novel itself is written suitably for the target audience, with engaging dialogue and descriptions. It’s a great second instalment in the series, those being usually forgotten amongst the previous and final, however, this book holds its own.

Overall, I loved this instalment in the series, it being my favourite out the two so far and I’m looking forward to investing some more time into the third.