A Lazy Reader's Review of "Ruin and Rising" by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis

    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.

Review

    We have now reached the end of this wonderful trilogy. And, I have thoughts, naturally.

    I'll start with a broad overview of what I thought about this book. As the final book in a trilogy, I think this book did an exceptional job in wrapping up the story. I felt like it did a good job wrapping up the various plots and storylines it produced in the previous two books in a way that made sense and was satisfying. I also thought that most of the endings the characters got were good and made sense in terms of where their general character arcs were heading. 

    Now, I understand that for many, the conclusion of Alina's storyline left a kind of sour taste in their mouths. And I think their complaints are valid. It is not satisfying when, at the end of a fantasy series, for the female main character, something that is indeed quite rare in the fantasy genre, to lose all of her powers and choose to live a simple life when the man that she loves. I think that many people view this as her succumbing to traditional gender roles. Which, I can understand why that would be quite annoying. However, I think it's important to ask ourselves, is this something that is wrong with her character arc or something that you, yourself, just don't find appealing? I for one, fall into the latter category. I would have liked to see Alina keep her powers, but then I asked myself, why? What overarching purpose would Alina keeping her powers serve? Powers that she didn't even want in the first place. Powers that, since the beginning of her discovering she had them, had brought her nothing but pain and struggle. So, despite my reservations with her ending, I do have to concede that it might be the most appropriate one for her.

    Overall, I did thoroughly enjoy this book and I think that it is a good introduction in the grisha-verse that Bardugo created and I am very much looking forward to reading the Six of Crows duology.

Jan. 8, 2023 – Jan. 16, 2023

★★★★☆