Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising (The Grisha Trilogy #3)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: June 17th, 2014 


Summary: 

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Check out my reviews for SHADOW AND BONE & SIEGE AND STORM!

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

It has been four days since I finished this book and my I still can't form coherent thoughts. Every time I think about how this series ended and my heart just breaks again. Out of all three books in this series Ruin and Rising tops my list of the favorite in the series. Though my heart aches and I am happy on how the series ended, yes, not everyone had a happy ending but everyone is alive. 

At the end of Siege and Storm the capital of Ravka has fallen and The Darkling put himself on the throne. Barley escaping into an underground cathedral Alina and her crew ally themselves with the Apporat and making Alina a saint. They are on the search for the fire bird, the last of Morazova's amplifiers to make Alina more powerful then she has already become, but is becoming more powerful then The Darkling going to be the destruction of Alina and all she has ever known? In the final installment in this trilogy everything you have learned so far has changed. The stakes are higher and the series comes to an earth shattering conclusion. 

I am going to start with the romance aspect since in both of my other reviews I complained about Mal. At the end of Siege and Storm I shipped Alina and Nikolai pretty damn hard, but I learned quickly that that ship was going to sink pretty fast. Alina and Mal's relationship has definitely evolved over the course of the series but especially this book, I earned a greater appreciation for Mal after some of the events that I had taken place. There is something about the universe not allowing two people together who should be together that is so painful, my heart felt like it was being shattered as I read through the second half of the story. 

I think Bardugo ended this series on a positive note. Not all of the characters had the best outcomes. The epilogue had me sobbing. But there is something bitter sweet to the ending of this series. I am super excited for my reread of Six of Crows now because a huge chunk of that story is going to make better sense now that I have finished up the Grisha trilogy. 

I just want to take a moment to thank my friend from BookExpo who pushed me to finish this series. I am forever grateful that you pushed me too. Even if I cried a lot of ugly tears.