Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
published by Henry Holt and Company in 2014
Goodreads rating: 4.17 ★
My Goodreads rating: 4 ★
– Well, that was a twist I didn’t see coming. While I definitely knew that there was more to this character, I didn’t expect it to be that! It definitely explains a lot, though. –
Again, I won’t give you much of a blurb, because since this is the third book in the trilogy, there is even less I can say not to spoil you than with the second instalment. Our protagonist Alina has to recover from almost succeeding in ridding Ravka of the Darkling. Her power has left her and instead she received a shadow of a different power during her fight with the Darkling. Everything seems hopeless, but there is still one thing that could save Ravka – the third amplifier. But will they find it in time?
This book started out slow. To be honest, it reminded me a lot of the beginning of Mockingjay. Both Alina and Katniss have endured (a terrible thing?), barely survived and are now in recovery, trying to gather the strength that they need, because this fight is far from over. Both are underground and alienated from friends and family. Both have to deal with a new instance of authority, which they only tolerate, because it provides them with safety for the time being. It’s a safety that they desperately need, since they would be victims to their own vulnerability otherwise.
After that the book quickly picks up the pace and again we are able to explore new parts of the world that Leigh Bardugo has created so masterfully. Also we are reconnected with beloved characters only to have them taken from us again. Yay, for making the reader suffer as much as possible.
I enjoyed the ending the most. I loved seeing how everyone – well those who were still alive – found their place in the new Ravka and the place that they were most happy at. Leigh didn’t make it cheesy or too over the top, too unrealistic, but just right. Also it warmed my heart to see that they were still keeping touch although they lived in different parts of the country.
It’s definitely not a happy ending, but a realistic one. Too often fantasy books end with a fantasy ending – a too perfect one – and I always love authors for being brave enough to let their stories end in a realistic way. People die in wars and it leaves visible and invisible scars and that shouldn’t be glorified just because it’s a fantastical setting.
Every single one of these characters loses something in this story, be it a part of themselves or a person they loved, but the ending isn’t hopeless. Every character still moves on. And I’m extremely glad that we’re going to learn even more about one of the characters in Leigh’s newest series ‘King of Scars’. I won’t say who, because that might count as a spoiler, since it’s not clear throughout if he’s going to live and if so how during ‘Ruin and Rising’, but just know that he’s easily my favourite character of this trilogy.
Conclusion:
This was definitely a great series and I’m already looking forward to re-reading it in the future. ‘Ruin and Rising’ was a good conclusion to the story and although it was a bit predictable in terms of the overall structure, it still surprised me with twists and turns along the way. If I wasn’t a Leigh Bardugo fangirl before then I am definitely one now. I am so excited to keep on reading ‘The Language of Thorns’ now and I cannot wait for my copy of Wonder Woman: Warbringer to arrive and ‘King of Scars’ to be released. Colour me obsessed.
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