Siege and Storm | Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2 | Leigh Bardugo | Book Review
"Weakness is a guise. Wear it when they need to know you're human, but never when you feel it."
When Mal's stupidity, Alina's self-doubt, and the Darkling's twisted affection for the Sun Summoner was getting on my nerves, Sturmhond came sailing as the character that I was waiting for. Finally I found someone to fall for. And I did but it took me a dozen chapters (I was having trust issues). Tbh, Sturmhond gave me such Jack Sparrow vibes in the beginning and that was enough for me to like him. And then there was Tamar & Tolya. Then Zoya again. Some political conflicts. Some lovers' quarrel. Plus the best action sequences of the entire trilogy. And finally, a dramatic ending.
Predictable? Yes & no. Fast paced? Yes. Writing? Smooth, easy, and capable of pulling the reader deeper inside the grisha world. Great characters? Hell yes! Some amazing character arcs? Yes yes yes!
Predictability of the book, albeit very little, can be a probable issue for many readers. But I've come to realize that almost all fantasy fiction has a predictable pattern. There are similar elements, a stereotyped character background, a layered development of the story, a traitor here & there, a friend in disguise someplace or other, and the list goes on. Even LOTR is predictable, duh. So for me, it's the execution of the plot to a predictable end that matters. And Siege & Storm delivers that.
I'd say that it is the least predictable of the series. It has adequate surprise elements, a good plot with a set of versatile characters, and a good execution of the story. Even though it is a bit bigger in page count than Shadow & Bones, I completed it in less time.
P.S. It is also my favorite book cover from the series!
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