Book Review: Ruin and Rising {Book 3: The Grisha Trilogy} by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: Book 3 The Grisha
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Date of Publication: June 17, 2014
Source: bought, hardcover, 417 pages
Genre: fantasy, young adult, romance


Goodreads 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.

 My Thoughts:

Anyone remember the song from Boys II Men about saying goodbye?  Well, I did shed a few tears with this one.  I really didn't want to say goodbye to Alina, Mal, Nicholai, hell I kinda miss the Darkling too!  Who wouldn't?    This series wrapped its magical arms around me and just squeezed my heart so much that it hurt to say goodbye to these characters.

I feel like everyone had grown so much through the three books and become what the world needed them to be, even if it left us disappointed for the outcome.  I felt like this book was so much more than just a story about right and wrong, good and evil.  The Darkling was charismatic; charming even while he was committing the most despicable acts throughout the book.  I seen there was so much more to him than meets the eye and knew he was pushed in this direction.  That isn't an excuse for him but I enjoyed learning more about him as a child, just so I could understand his brand of evil better.

I believe Alina respected him at first and of course she did have a slight crush on him { who wouldn't?} but there was more to it than that.  She felt connected to his emotions because some of them were her own. So I agree with the ending and I am glad that it was finished the way it was.  Compassion is a strong force just as much as hate and love is.

Bardugo put us through some serious tear jerking moments in the final book.  Yes, there was people that were lost that I didn't want to lose but again, it shaped the outcome in a way that fit for every character.  Leigh Bardugo is a wonderful writer who makes me question my very sanity as I read her stories.  She gives us insight into the innermost feelings of some of the darkest characters ever and we find ourselves understanding some of their motives and giving in to some pity for these people.  She shows us that we can't just group everyone into the "good" category and the "bad" category because basically people have layers.  I wonder if our author was fan of Shrek?

I really believe that Ruin and Rising did a good job of bringing the series to a close-even if it hurt like hell and it wasn't what I was expecting for Alina.  After everything that happened, the ending seemed so simple.  But  maybe that was the complexity of it; that no one was expecting it.  We were shocked right along with all of the characters and it was beautiful.

I cried for this book and yet my tears wasn't all sad.  I was happy for these people {yes I know they are not real, only in my heart } and I felt connected to them and genuinely vested in their lives.

I also loved reading the Darkling's short story that I got in the back of my book { Barnes & Noble edition}.  I loved that it was at the end of the story; of the series and it took us inside the Darkling before he became the terror everyone knew.  He was  just a boy and I loved seeing him in this fragile way.

All in all, I was extremely happy with the third and final book in The Grisha Series, Ruin and Rising.  It captured the entire thrill of the series again and everything seemed to come full circle in a way that was beautiful and sad and destined.
I have to give it five hearts!  Even many more for the love I felt for this series!

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