Book View: Ruin and Rising

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.

Ruin and Rising is the conclusion to a series I fell in love with at book one. Possibly not for the right reasons, although many people I talk to love the Darkling as much as I do. Alina, our main character is not the strongest character I’ve encountered but she seems to pull through in moments of need. The highlight of this last book was more of the dashing Nikolai, some intense battles and really it moved quickly and pulled me in. I struggled with the second book because it was so darn slow, this one totally makes up for it. The ending was nice and neatly wrapped up, so I’m glad for it to stay a trilogy. Although I think Nikolai as the main character of a spin off… that would TOTALLY be awesome. I don’t really want to ruin anything for anyone, so I’ll just say I was completely satisfied with this book, the way it played out and ended.

Verdict:

A gripping conclusion to a fantasy series that you must check out.

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Kristen

Kristen is the co-blog owner of The Book Monsters. Kristen is an Elementary School Library Media Specialist in the Chicago suburbs who loves reading. Why else would she be a librarian?

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