RUIN AND RISING Book Review

Ruin and Rising¹ (book 3 in the Shadow and Bone trilogy) by Leigh Bardugo, audiobook, 10h 57m

Synopsis from Audible: 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.

BOOK REVIEW: I really wanted to finish the trilogy before the second season comes out on Netflix. The first season followed loosely the first book's storyline. I want to hope that the same will go for the second season and that there will be a third season to cover the third book BUT just in case they merge the last two books into the second season I wanted to be prepared. You know how sometimes the story continues between the books? Like each Harry Potter book finishes at the end of the school year and the next book picks up right before the next school year so you miss the summer months. This one really did pick up where the last book left off which I enjoyed!

My rating is for the audiobook only. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I love the narrator's voice. She does a great job and while her voice is different, to me, it sounds close enough to Jessie Mei Li (who plays Alina Starkov in the show). I also like that her male voices aren't cringy! That is always a huge selling point for me!

4.5/5 Stars

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