Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Published on: June 4, 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.
Enter the Grishaverse with Book Two of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.
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.
After the shocking ending in Shadow and Bone, the Grisha trilogy continues with Siege and Storm. The main protagonist is Alina Starkov, who lives in the fictional kingdom of Ravka. She and her best friend, Malyen “Mal” Oretsev, are on the run. In the previous book, Alina learned that she’s a Grisha, a human with special powers. In her case, Alina can control and generate sunlight. This earned her the name of Sun Summoner. Ravka is partially divided by a dark magical barrier called the Shadow Fold. Alina is the only Grisha alive who could be capable of destroying it.
Alina spent most of the first book training with Ravka’s Second Army, the Grisha. She was also under the protection of their leader, who calls himself the Darkling. He seemed to want to help Alina develop her power enough to destroy the Fold. The two started growing close, seeming to be on the way to become a couple. To Alina’s shock, the Darkling stole control of her power (temporarily) and used it to extend the Fold. This revealed the Darkling as the series’s main antagonist. It turns out he’s also the Black Heretic, the ancient Grisha responsible for creating the Fold in the first place.
The Darkling manages to catch up to Alina and Mal. In the process, he reveals a frightening new power. If you surmised it by his title, the Darkling can manipulate shadows. Now he can do something even worse: summon dark beings he calls nichevo’ya. This involves merzost, a type of magic every other Grisha considers extremely dangerous to meddle with. Alina has no choice but to go along with the Darkling’s plans for a while. He’s employing a notorious privateer for a special mission. The Darkling seeks the second of a trio of amplifiers for Alina to wear. She already got one in Shadow and Bone. If the Darkling succeeds in this mission, Alina will become the first-ever Grisha to wear more than one amplifier.
A surprising ally helps Alina and Mal escape from the Darkling’s clutches. They also manage to thwart the Darkling’s plans. After saving Alina and helping her extend her power, the ally reveals what he’s after. At this point, two new major characters are introduced. They are Tolya and Tamar, a pair of Grisha siblings. The two are Heartrenders, a type of Corporalki who can manipulate the body (such as increasing someone’s heart rate). Tolya is male, and he’s really big. Tamar’s his sister. They become two of Alina’s closest friends over the course of the book. Tolya and Tamar prove themselves valuable allies, helping Alina with her plan to defeat the Darkling and save Ravka from the Fold.
Another character makes a surprising appearance. It’s Genya Safin, a Tailor who was Alina’s guide at the Little Palace. She seems to be in league with the Darkling. Alina is shocked, as she thought Genya was a friend. Genya doesn’t appear to be completely loyal to the Darkling, though. Still, her actions are understandable. Grisha are in danger pretty much anywhere in the world but Ravka. People just fear them, in the way you fear what you don’t understand. It’s likely Genya is with the Darkling because he keeps her safe.
With the Darkling in hiding, Alina and her group are able to return to Os Alta. There, they begin coming up with a plan to defeat the Darkling. As for Alina, her story arc takes a surprising turn at this point. I’m not going to spoil it, but I will say that she’s a bit young. The new role Alina takes on seems a bit unfit for her, even if she’s the Sun Summoner. It didn’t bother me so much as make me dubious, though. The arc still works, showing that Alina isn’t ordinary. It also allows her to strengthen her bonds with the other Grisha. This is important, as Alina will need all the help she can get for what’s coming. The Grisha trilogy is definitely getting better. I highly recommend it to fans of magical fantasy.
My rating: ★★★★★
5 stars - Absolutely must-read. It's outstanding!!!
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