Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo Review

 Title: Ruin and Rising 

Author: Leigh Bardugo 

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult 

Genre: Fantasy 

Series: Shadow and Bone, book three 

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars 

I bought a copy of this book and reviewed it. 

Ruin and Rising is the final book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy; and to be honest, I was very nervous. I was worried that this would have last book syndrome, aka be a disappointment. But to be honest, this book might be my favorite in the entire series. It ended in a way that I totally didn’t see coming, and honestly, I was really happy with it! I’m so glad I bought this series, because it may be one of those series where I return to yearly. I just adored it so much. This action-packed, heartfelt finale of a book really satisfied me, and not just with the ending, but with character development. Even though I’ve already read the Six of Crows duo, I’d like to go back to it, now that I have more context of the worldbuilding. I tore through this book in a little over three days, and honestly, I couldn’t be happier with how it ended; I was fully prepared to lose it all, so the ending was such a pleasant surprise! Absolutely surprising, heartfelt, and satisfying, I loved this last entry in the bestselling series! 

Alina Starkov is lying low underground, almost entirely depleted from her last battle with The Darkling. Desperate for the third and final amplifier, she travels halfway across the world to attain it, and with it, a way to defeat The Darkling once and for all. But the ancient being has plans of his own, and he certainly won’t go down without a fight. Alina must decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to permanently close The Fold and bring an end to The Darkling’s reign of terror. Will she, in fact, be martyred as a Saint in order to save the free world, or will she be victorious and bring an end to an era of darkness and blood? 

I really, really enjoyed this series closer! Sequels normally make me very nervous, but as I read, I relaxed. I tore through this last novel in a little over three days, and I have to admit that I was salty when real life intruded in; I even carried the book around me in hopes that I would get a few free moments in which to read. The pacing was breakneck, and this book held me by the throat and didn’t let go until long after the final page. I adored the characters, especially Alina, Mal, The Darkling (of course), and Nikolai. I swear I was holding my breath throughout the whole book, and by the end, I was crying for joy! (I’m so excited that King of Scars and Rule of Wolves is out now, because I NEED more Nikolai Lantsov in my life!) I also adored the other characters, especially the twins, Tamar and Tolya, and Zoya and Genya. And that ending! I laughed, I wept, I wanted to scream my joy and happiness to the rooftops. I have a feeling that the Shadow and Bone trilogy will stay with me for a long time; it might be one of those series that I return to yearly. Absolutely stunning! The bottom line: Gorgeously rendered, dark, and dangerous, with an ending I didn’t see coming, I loved Ruin and Rising! Next on deck: Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly!