I Am Revolution

"'I have loved you all my life, Mal,' 
I whispered through my tears. 
'There is no end to our story.'"

--Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Publisher: Henry, Holt and Co., 448 pages

Publication Date: June 4th, 2013

Source: ARC provided via publisher in exchange for an honest review
Previous Reviews in this Series: Shadow and Bone

Goodreads

Goodreads Description

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 Thoughts

Saints behold do I love me some Grisha...and maybe a certain tracker...Wow. Seriously. Leigh did not get the memo about the sophomore slump and Siege and Storm is another epic book in the story of Alina Starkov. Without giving too much away I'm gonna try to express my love for this book.

First off, the flow. We end Shadow and Bone on the sea and we begin Siege and Storm in the same way...which is exactly how this story felt. It ebbed and flowed and we had SO MUCH ACTION and intensity and then we calm down and build some characters, it was lovely. This book was intense. SO much happens! We see so many story arcs and situations that remembering it all I cannot believe it all happened in one book! My heart was pounding and oh boy, did a lot of major stuff go down. It. Was. Amazing.

Alina is better than ever. Slightly unsure and insecure but when it counts, man does she deliver. She comes into her own even more in this story and I LOVE it. This girl is not one to be messed around with. She grows so much and you just want to root for her the whole time. Does she make mistakes? Yes. But so do all of us. It makes you want her to succeed that much more because she is human. Her flaws and insecurities make her all the more relatable. Her characterization continues to build and grow into a force to be reckoned with.

Where I would have like to see a little more assertiveness was with Mal. Oh did they break my heart at some points. As the description will tell you, tension develops between the two of them and I just wanted to shake them and make them just talk! But what I looooved was that at the end of the day you knew how much then meant to one another. Mal was as protective and adorable as ever but he had his issues, too. Well founded and my heart just bled for him. And Alina. Ugh, I just love them both and there were so many feels!

We also get a new character added to the mix in the form of Sturmhond, the captain of the ship they are on at one point. Oh. My. Gosh. He was easily one of my favorite parts of the whole book! Snarky. Sarcastic. Confident. Cocky. Handsome *swoon*. Strong. Capable. Charming. Funny. I think that's it...He was just too much. Hilarious and his one-liners and comebacks I was just dying over...and swoony. I'm not jumping ship or anything and hoping Alina ends up with him but I'll take him...just sayin'...

We don't get as much of The Darkling as I would have liked...or maybe that's ok...He's different this go around. He seemed redeemable to me in Shadow and Bone and we learn very early on he has a new trick up his kefta and I don't know how I feel about it. I want to root for him. I want him to at least be a decent choice. I want to love him so much more but I don't know. We need a novella or something from his point of view so I can have me some more villian love, i.e. Warner and Cole and Morpheus. 

I love that story continues the fight of good versus evil. That aspect of most fantasy novels is one I can never get enough of. The epic battle for good to triumph always gives me goosebumps. The evolution of this concept in the Grisha world is amazing. This second installment shows us how that battle is prepared for. It is not an easy road. Sacrifices are made. Plans need to be made. People need to put aside their differences and work together. For the greater good, right Dumbledore? The entire book is a slow burn and builds up until...

...The end...wow. Shit just got real. I NEVER saw anything coming that happened in the end. It was...amazing. Intense, emotional, can you tell I'm very fond of adjectives today?? Geez. But for serious I loved it all and it was all just so real. This was an amazing second installment of an already amazing series. I cannot WAIT to see where the next book takes us and I loved getting lost in the world of the Grisha again. And ya just gotta love characters and a story that fights for the light over darkness...see what I did there? 

Should You Read This? Um...duh. The world of the Grisha is unlike any other and if you haven't read Shadow and Bone, push your TBR pile over and read this. The culture story and characters will blow you away and when you get to this second installment it will not disappoint.