Siege and Storm

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone series – Book 2)

Picking up right where Shadow and Bone ended, Mal and Alina are on the run and trying to make a life for themselves in a new and unfamiliar land. She has to keep her identity a secret, but not using her powers is wearing on her. The Darkling is not far behind and he has some new tricks up his sleeve. Alina will have to make new alliances and test the limits of her friends in order to prepare to meet the Darkling in the battle for the country. She is slipping into a darkness and wondering if Mal will be able to understand what she is going through. Are her new powers too much for her to bear alone? Will her new found alliances prove to be enough to get her through the tumultuous times ahead? Saints only know.

The second book in the Shadow and Bone series, Siege and Storm continues to keep you on your toes right from the beginning. My favorite part of this book was the addition of new and interesting characters as well as parts of the map that we hadn’t explored before. I fell head over heels for the quick wit of the new privateer character and his crew is a great little found family that I didn’t expect we would find at this point in the story. The pace of the story is a bit different than in the first book and the quick action really shakes up the status quo early on.

The pace slows down a bit later on when they are in the regrouping and planning phases. I did feel a bit exhausted with the intentional lack of communication between Mal and Alina in this book and an overabundance of jealous teenage relationship drama. It was a ton of “I should really tell him how I am feeling and what I am going through” except she never did. I didn’t really enjoy that part, it wore on me a bit after a while, but I was able to see past it in order to follow the larger storyline and it wasn’t too bad in the larger scheme of things.

The adventure has many twists and turns where you still aren’t sure who to trust or where the next chapter will take you. I was in tears at parts towards the end scared for my favorite characters and when it tugs on my heart strings, that is always indicative of a good story.

I rate Siege and Storm 4 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Format & Source: Paperback from Main Street Books

Publishing Info: Macmillan Publishing Group 2013