[A quick note: This is the second book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. If you havenโt read the first, or donโt want spoilers, then you should probably skip this. You can read my review for the first book HERE. That being said, I was hoping to get to this in April after reading the first but with such a long TBR and so many other book review obligations, it got pushed off. As with the first, it was a nice interlude read between some of the larger more dense books Iโm reviewing.]
โ ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต. ๐๐๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ, ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น.โโLeigh Bardugo
Hunted, Alina and Mal flee across the True Sea in hopes of disappearing, but Alina cannot outrun her past. The Darkling survived the Shadow Fold and emerges with a terrifying new power, one Alina cannot hope to conquer. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to her home country in hopes of saving it. But as her power grows, she grows farther away from Mal. Forced to make an impossible choice, Alina must choose between her love, her power, and her country.
Bardugo takes us deeper into the Grishaverse, challenging Alinaโs character in new ways. The game has changed. Alina is faced with more conflict than ever before. Everything is a battle. Her growing power. The Darkling. Her relationship for Mal. The crown. Sheโs forced to fight for everything. We see her growing and changing to the point where she becomes the embodiment of strength. But this takes its tole on her overall.
The pace really picks up in this one. Unlike the first installment, things happen quickly. This keeps the pages flying. I really enjoyed all the action, intrigue, and conflict. I especially liked the edition of Stormhundโs character. He adds so much swagger and banter to this book. I was so excited to see him emerge after getting a glimpse of him in Crooked Kingdom. I was practically cheering.
While this book (and the whole trilogy) is obviously written for a younger audience, I still found myself thoroughly enjoying it. There are still some deeper themes centering around Alinaโs character. Thereโs enough political intrigue without being overbearing. Still lots of Grisha magic.
I do want to mention how I continue to be impressed with the world building. The Grishaverse feels so real. So many details fleshed out. I love an immersive setting like this one. It made escaping into this series an absolute pleasure. Canโt wait for the third and final book in this trilogy. ๐ ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ ๐ฐ/๐ฑโญ๏ธ