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.

Oh. My. Word. I do not know how it took me so long to get to the end of the Grisha Trilogy but SERIOUSLY. LEIGH. It has been YEARS since I marathon read a book through the night, and it has been even longer since I spent the last thirty minutes reading while CRYING. So, needless to say, I adored it (but not what happened ;P).

Leigh manages to create a world that is both dark and broken, and incredibly full of hope (not too far off from our own, eh?). The balance of raw feelings from broken people and the blind hopefulness and love that these characters had was just a whirlwind of emotions I was not expecting. I mean, I loved the first two books in this series, obviously. I have nothing but good things to say about anything that Leigh touches. However, I was genuinely surprised by how touching the conclusion to the Grisha trilogy was.

The world building was great–not too heavy, but enough that it was complex and thought-provoking. I have always loved the Grisha world, and this segment did not disappoint. The immersion was great, the characters were great. I have very little to complain about (except EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE, but that’s a different review). The magic of the world is fascinating and complex, but simple enough that even I can understand it.

All of this to say, I have not had such an emotional and complex reaction to a book (or series as a whole) in years. It held my attention and genuinely made me feel the emotions of the characters and the magic of the world. Yeah, it may not be some incredibly intense high fantasy novel, but boy, it killed me, man. It killed me.

I give Ruin and Rising 5 out of 5 stars.

Maddie