Shadow And Bone: Ruin And Rising: Book 3

Gorgeous book and condition is great.still havent read it though

Perfect ending to an amazing trilogy although a little underwhelming

A beautiful ending to the trilogy, I truly enjoyed the book. The relation between the characters were touching, i also loved their development. Plus, I appreciated the plotline

Bom para ler

Ruin and Rising was strong final book in The Shadow and Bone trilogy. It revolved around Alina and Mal once again finding a way to leave their underground prison, looking for prince and third amplifier. Story was about trust, faith, friendship, loss, grief, betrayal, love, greed and its price, power, sacrifice, and making tough decision. Writing was fabulous, spell binding and super fast paced. I might have finished book in single day, if I didn’t have other chores to do. It was first person narrative from Alina’s POV. Plot was interesting and there were some amazing surprises. I’m not going to summarise how it started (I wrote it but then I wanted to give that space to secondary characters so deleted it later). It was interesting to see how Alina and surviving Grisha would deal with Apparat, what would they encounter once they were above ground, how they would find prince, could they find third amplifier or would it turn out hopeless, what Darkling was planning, who was going to win the final game. There were some parallel events between first and third (Mal and Alina again going to find amplifier but this time they were not alone) and second and third book (I’m not saying what, it would be spoiler for both books, but it was pretty obvious if you read both books). Characters were much better. I loved secondary characters. It was amazing to see improvement in few characters. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I loved Zoya in this. I didn’t know if I trusted her or not in second book but in this, she surprised me. She still had that mean girl edge but I loved her for her loyalty. She was smart, strong, fierce, and witty. David was fun to read. Genya was amazing. I cried for her at the end of the second book but I loved how she came out of what she went through and the way she faced the king. She was bravest and strongest of all and terrifyingly smart. I so loved Baghra, being her usual self in this was something I missed in previous book. Did I ever say I loved Tolya and Tamar? Dark humour, loyalty, fierceness, and dangerous, loved each other and did whatever they had to do to protect and survive. They were best twins I have ever read after Fred and George (no comparison, I’m talking about best twins list). Mal was surprisingly great. Not at all frustrating and I’m so happy to see he finally understood what’s it like to be special and then losing it. I loved Mal for pointing out Alina wasn’t like Darkling and supporting her throughout the book. Alina was not bad. I couldn’t understand her mind when it came to deciding who she really wanted but I get her self-doubt and dilemma about power and what she wants and if would she sacrifice what she loves when time came. She was complicated but that made her more realistic, so normal. She came far from in first book. She became smart, determined, and feisty from that meek, invisible, girl who felt there was nothing special about her. Nikolai was amazing. I loved every single word in book related to him. He was so witty and boyish yet wise and great leader. I loved him even more for standing up for Genya. He made me smile, laugh, sad, and cry. I love his new name at the end, King of Scar. I enjoyed reading from where exactly Darkling learned merzost. His history and childhood made me understand him even more. And no matter how ruthless, cruel and heartless he was, I have to agree with Alina, he loved Ravka, his dream of giving Grisha safe place was great, and his real name, his feelings for Baghra, what happened at the end made him so human. He truly was best villain. As always world was best part. I enjoyed exploring Ravka, underground tunnels, Nikolai’s secret place- Spinning Wheel, and Mal and Alina’s journey of finding amplifier, knowing more about Morozova and his life, and how he created amplifiers, theories and science behind Grisha powers, Nikolai’s aircrafts, and mystery of Mal’s skill of finding any living creature. Romance wasn’t my favourite part. Author made it so complicated with all the proposals Alina was getting in this and she stupidly was thinking about them all. I enjoyed moments between Alina -Nikolai and Alina-Mal. They were lovely heart-warming moments no matter how many times I wanted to shake Alina and tell her ‘make up your mind girl’. It’s the reason rated it 4.5 but at the end it pales in comparison to overall enjoyment of the book. Action scenes were great. Climax was surprising. I have to say I didn’t see that coming and I couldn’t have figured out things about third amplifier. I enjoyed all events from climax till end. How third amplifier worked was shocking in the end. Unlike most readers I actually liked the end. I wouldn’t change it. And I have to agree with author Alina sure deserved to have peaceful and happy life and I don’t think that’s possible with different possible ends. Overall, Ruin and Rising was best book in this trilogy. It was impressive, fascinating, entertaining and perfectly written. It wasn’t as bad as most readers were making. Sure, some might not like pacing and romantic aspect but for me it was amazing. If you love author’s writing, fabulous world building with answers to all questions you had in previous books, more myth and stories, and witty characters, I highly recommend this book.

After reading the entire series, I'm left feeling satisfied with the last book and the ending. It works well and is a proper goodbye with characters I fell in love with. What struck me most was that it isn't as straight forward as it could have been and I like it all the more for it. The trilogy is enticing and action packed with a few scenes here and there that drag on, but they support the story and character development and that makes it work overall. Great read that I recommend for others wanting to immerse themselves in the Grishaverse.

A great ending to the trilogy. Ruin and Rising is captivating, full-on action, heart-gripping moments and twists that will make your jaw drop. This is by far my favourite instalment of this saga. The world-building is yet again fabulous. Leigh Bardugo has created amazing imagery that enthrals the reader and she vividly portrays every scene with architectural details, local legends and stories, meticulous descriptions of landscapes and fantastic, creepy and deadly creatures. All these details give a special charm to the story. After her last confrontation with the Darkling, Alina has transformed a lot. She is no longer the vulnerable girl from the previous volumes; she has become a skilled strategist, a fighter/a leader/ a saint who arouses admiration and fear in allies and enemies alike. The road ahead is not an easy one, but with Mal, Nikolai and her Grisha friends by her side, she always pushes on. I appreciate Mal for his devotion to Alina, though I still can't see them as lovers. He becomes the hero who sacrifices himself out of love and loyalty, driven by honour and duty. He puts Alina before anyone else, above his own life, without a second thought. As for the Darkling, he will forever be my favourite in this story. He remains true to his nature until the end. A veritable foe who does not seek redemption and won't apologize for his actions (I wouldn't imagine him in any other way). And that ending was a genuine surprise. Magical, seductive, surprising and devastating, Ruin and Rising has definitely surpassed all my expectations. I am looking forward to reading the other books set in the Grishaverse.