Title- Siege and Storm
Rating– 4/5
Genre- YA fantasy
POV- first person
Trope- the chosen one
Plot/Blurb-
Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner―hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.
The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.
But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice―and only she can face the oncoming storm.
Best part-
Page 61- awesome
Page 148- great turn of events
Page 370- excellent emotional turmoil. The heroes and saints concept is awesome.
Comments-
I thoroughly enjoyed the ship scenes in the beginning with a pirate feel. I liked the multiple proposals & Alina’s visions. I wish she wouldn’t keep the secrets from Mal though. The middle felt slower with the war strategies, planning & politics. The climax was epic. Some plot points of this sequel felt you resolved that I assumed would be wrapped up in this story line and achieve the goals instead of waiting for “Ruin & Rising.” Alina’s character has evolved and I’m excited if she will overcome darkness in the third installment
What I’d change-
The first chapter took me a while to remember the world and characters.
Sometimes the world building of proper nouns is a bit much. Page 100 has the names- Materialnik, Sturmhond, Fabrikator, Toyla, Tamar, Mal, & Volkvolny. Then just on page 109, we have: Zemeni, Ravka, Novyi Zem, the Fold, the First Army, the Second Army, Sun Saint, Apparat, Grand Palace, Darkling, & Istorii Sankt’ya
Quote-
I love her and Mal’s relationship, such as:
Mal pulled me closer. “Were you always this much trouble?”
“I like to think of myself as delightfully complex.”
Pacing- fast read
Cassie Swindon 