Book Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Published in 2013. Fantasy. Mal and Alina are safe in a small village far away from the Darkling until he finds them. He forces them to return with him by ship to Ravka, but in turn, he’s betrayed by the ship’s captain, a privateer, who steals them away for more money. The privateer is not who he says he is either and he is actually Prince Nikolai, second in line to the throne of Ravka. The Prince takes them to safety back at the palace, where he must deal with royal politics, his parents and his older brother, Vasily. He also recognizes Alina’s power as the Sun Summoner and proposes marriage to her to gain control over her. Meanwhile, the Darkling has found her and visits her through magic, terrifying her. Alina feels she’s losing her mind while finding her power taking over control of her life as she loses Mal.

This is the second episode for Mal and Alina, following the first book, “Shadow and Bone.” The plot has several complicated twists and turns and leaves a few plot lines left hanging. There is a third book to this series that should resolve those issues.

I enjoyed reading this book although there were a few lulls in the plot that I needed to push through. As it approached the ending, it went fast, so I’ll have to read it again.