Review: Ruin and Rising | Leigh Bardugo

This review is spoiler free.

“Na razrusha’ya. I am not ruined. E’ya razrushost. I am ruination.”

Series: Shadow and Bone
Published: 2014, by Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 369
Format: eBook/Kindle Edition
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Magic, Fiction, Adventure, Paranormal
Contains: Death, Violence, Anger, Blood/Gore, Mutilation, Torture

‘Ruin and Rising’ is the third and final book in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, following on from the previous novel, ‘Siege and Storm’. The capital has fallen, The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne, and now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sum Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

‘Ruin and Rising’ was the next book in my Bardugo reading plan, meaning that I delved into the title with excitement and anticipation. I had high expectations for this finale, being addicted to the previous instalments, and needless to say, I’m extremely happy with the results.

Alina developed into a very mature soldier by the end of this series, being presented with a lot of darkness and trauma in her life and it showed through the pages. She was a delight to read about, empathising with her character from beginning to end and enjoying every moment in her head.
My opinion of Mal finally changed in this book, having found him quite dull and grouchy in the previous instalments. However, in this book, he’s a more rounded character. He changes, devoting himself to Alina and their cause, and is beside her from beginning to end.
However, my favourite character is Nikolai, who shines through the pages with his enthusiasm and charm. He’s incredibly intelligent, charming and simply a joy to read about. His story develops beautifully amongst the pages, becoming the King we all knew it could be, and I take pride in my admiration towards him.

The writing itself is very well written, with engaging descriptions and dialogue to keep you entertained until the end. I read this novel quite quickly, it being incredibly addictive to discover the ending to these characters story. Bardugo is an incredibly talented writer, and these novels presented that clearly.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this read, it being one of my favourites of the trilogy, and I cannot wait to discover more of Bardugo’s world.