ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leigh Bardugo is an American author. She is popular for her young-adult and fantasy novels. Bardugo graduated from Yale University with a degree in English. She published the first book of The Grisha Trilogy in 2012 and has received many awards. She has also published an anthology of essays and short stories.
REVIEW
Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay.
Ruin and Rising is the third and final book in the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo. It is the climax all readers of this series awaited with bated breath. The book takes the readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, suspense and action. It provides a fantastic end to the crescendo built by the first 2 books, Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm.
The kingdom of Ravka is disintegrating under the rule of the evil Darkling. People are desperately seeking help from their sun summoner Alina and her confidant and lover Mal. On the other hand, Darkling’s influence on Alina is increasing day by day. Alina needs to find the elusive firebird as soon as she can to vanquish the dark forces and protect her kingdom. She has to forge new alliances and find friends to create an army that can take on and defeat Darkling. She travels throughout the kingdom in pursuit of the firebird that can help her emerge victorious.
Fans of the Grisha series had to wait for months to satisfy their curiosity about what Darkling’s real name was, and whether Alina accepted Nicolai’s proposal or got closer to Darkling. Bardugo ensures that it was worth the wait as she answers all of these questions in the last installment of this series.
She once again takes the readers inside the beautiful world of Ravka, which is a stunning mix of Russian folktale and her own imagination. Her writing style keeps the readers glued as they are able to connect and relate to each and every character.
There is no good and bad character in the novel. Every character is real and human. They have their own flaws and strengths. Even Alina, the protagonist of the series, is far from perfect. She makes mistakes, does despicable things and still is the sun summoner, who fights for the good of her people. In the same way, Darkling is not entirely evil. Bardugo has portrayed him as an interesting character with charm and wit, which makes it hard for the readers to hate him. Every character in the series is relatable and endearing. All the other characters like Nikolai, David, Genya, Sturmhond, Tolya and Tamar are equally wonderful and contribute to the storyline in their own ways.
Bardugo neatly ties up all the loose ends and rounds off the series on a bitter-sweet note, which leaves the readers teary-eyed and content. The respected end to Darkling and the happily-ever-after ending to the love story of Mal and Alina is bound to paint a smile on the readers faces. The characters, however, refuse to leave you even after you have kept the book aside. The little surprise at the end of the book leaves the readers asking for more.
Ruin and Rising merits a 4-star rating from Ameya. Its character development, fast-paced story, interesting twists and turns, and the amazing description of the fairy-tale world of Grisha makes this book a worthy read. For readers fond of fantasy literature, this book is a must. However, for obvious reasons, readers are advised to read the first two books of the series before picking this one up.
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