Review – Ruin and Rising (The Grisha Trilogy, Book 3) by Leigh Bardugo (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 432 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: June 17, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0805094619
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Grisha Trilogy
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the third and final book in the Grisha Trilogy. Honestly I think it was my least favorite book in the series, but I am having some trouble pinpointing exactly why. Things are nicely tied up and Alina has really grown a lot as a character.

Alina was severely weakened after her encounter with the Darkling at the end of the second book. Now she is hiding underground in the dubious protection of the Apparat and his zealots who worship her as a Saint. However, Alina feels like she is more prisoner than Saint and is tiring of the Apparat’s lack of action. Her and her friends hatch a plan to escape the Apparat’s underground sanctuary and continue on their quest for the Firebird.

I didn’t like Alina as much in this book as in the previous books. She starts out pretty weak, but then you find she has gained in power. I do like that she had to train to learn now to use her new abilities well. What I didn’t like was how narrow-minded and power hungry she is. She is worried about turning into the Darkling, and with good reason. Her hunt for the Firebird consumes her and she somehow believes that finding the Firebird will cure everything, it is a bit naive of her to believe that.

The supportive characters are well done. There is a bit of a love triangle going on here. Alina and Mel still love each other but both believe that Alina will need to ally herself with Prince Nikolai. Prince Nikolai is determined to earn Alina’s respect if not her heart. Then there is the Darkling, who still lures Alina with his power and with how similar it is to her own. I guess it is more of a love square?

Unfortunately I found both Alina and Mel to be a bit forgettable. Nikolai is much more engaging. The Darkling is also an incredible character, and although we see more of him than we did in the second book, he still wasn’t in the story a ton.

The book was paced well and decently written. However, I wasn’t ever really completely engaged and pulled into the story. I am not sure why. I really did enjoy the first two books in this series, but this one was a bit predictable and I just didn’t find it as engaging. As I said I am having a hard time pinpointing what it was that made this book less likable to me than the previous two.

Overall a well done conclusion to this series. Things are tied up nicely and the story is well paced. I think fans of the series will be pleased. I didn’t like this book as much as the previous two books; for some reason I had trouble engaging with both Alina and Mel and the story in general. However this is a well done YA fantasy series and I would still recommend it.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Series Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge