Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Siege and Storm

(The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2)

Leigh Bardugo (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 479,243 ratings · 47,047 reviews

▶ Alternative Cover Edition #1

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 435 pages

Published June 4th 2013 by Henry Holt and Company

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Siege and Storm, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Novels of 2013

1,517 books — 10,961 voters

Can't Wait Books of 2013

2,477 books — 12,109 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.85 ·

Rating details

· 479,243 ratings · 47,047 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)

Mar 21, 2018 Elle (ellexamines) rated it it was ok

Shelves: z-2018reads, x-audiobook, 2-star, x-series, sff-high-fantasy, y-2000sreleases

how can this book have been so much better than book one, or book three, and yet still... not good?

“You just punched a prince, Alina. I guess we can add one more act of treason to our list.”
I shook out my sore hand. My knuckles smarted. “First of all, are we so sure he really is a prince? And second, you’re just jealous.”
“Of course I’m jealous. I thought I was going to get to punch him. That isn’t the point.”

2 1/2 stars, again. Again, very mixed feelings, so I’m going to start by tal ...more

flag 940 likes · Like · see review

Dec 08, 2014 Katerina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Yup, I'm still insanely in love with the Darkling. I'm going to burn in Hell. Or rule the world with him as his Queen of Darkness, whatever comes first.

“I know the truth in your heart. The loneliness. The growing knowledge of your own difference. The ache of it.”

Alina tried to deny it, the connection and the similarities with him, but she could't hide from the truth. Her purpose seemed clear; rebuild the Second Army, defeat the Darkling, destroy the Fold, free Ravka, find the third a ...more

flag 2144 likes · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2014 Kiki rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, awesome-heroine, meh, could-have-been-worse, will-read-the-next-one

The Good:
1. Alina going full Shane*
2. Nikolai
3. Nikolai's face
4. Nikolai's clothes
5. Everything Nikolai said
6. Everything Nikolai did
7. The last 10%, in which some stuff actually happened

The Bad:
1. Mal
2. Mal, cause I seriously hate him
3. Alina's vague, confusing magical powers (she has...the power of light? And the Darkling has...the power of darkness? Except darkness is the absence of light so essentially they have exactly the same powers? And I suppose you could say "the Darkling creates darkn ...more

flag 2879 likes · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2015 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it really liked it

This was loads better than the first book. I loved the new characters that were introduced & I'm digging the direction the plot is going in. I'm interested to see what happens in the final book in this trilogy! ...more

flag 869 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2019 Lark rated it liked it

Nikolai, honey, your back must be so sore from carrying that entire book.

flag 4329 likes · Like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Emily May rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, coverly-love, 2013

This rating might come as a surprise after I was so excited to get reacquainted with the Darkling in my early status update. However, if it hadn't been for the scenes with the Darkling, this book would have probably only received one star - it's only his characterisation, his different layers and, let's face it, his sexiness that convinced me to rate this at two stars. Maybe I could stretch to 2.5 if I close my eyes and picture the Darkling like this:

I usually approach the sequels to three s

I usually approach the sequels to three star reads with some trepidation but I confess that my hopes were high for this one. Despite the flaws present throughout Shadow and Bone, I found it wildly entertaining in parts and a very easy page-turner. I had also hoped that Alina would mature and grow once she harnessed her power and realised that some things are more important than beauty and looks - this realisation never came. In fact, I believe the relationship between beauty and power to be even more apparent in this sequel and I struggle to sympathise with a girl who discovers she is incredibly powerful but still can't see her worth beyond her plain appearance.

This I just mentioned is nothing new and was a problem for me in the first installment which has unfortunately carried over into the second. However, the main difference between the two that overrides everything else and is way bigger than my problems with the beauty issue - which I may have otherwise been able to look past - is that I found this second book incredibly boring. Or I did at least after the first quarter where the Darkling disappears for a huge chunk of the book (honestly, he is the only interesting thing about this series). Gone was the fun I had while reading book one, gone was the exciting mystery and sexual tension. This book introduced several new characters who I never came to care about, whilst also bringing Alina Shallowkova and whiny Mal back into the spotlight.

Mal is a dull character. He is whiny, uninteresting and I can see no reason why anyone would think the sun shines out of his backside... yes, even Alina. Though, saying that, he is radiantly gorgeous and I suppose Alina doesn't need any more of a reason to put someone on a pedestal. I was so bored by their relationship that I couldn't even summon the energy for my standard eyeroll reserved for fictional couples that are annoying. I'm not even sure what Mal does for most of this book aside from standing by and being jealous of every man that Alina talks to.

I admit that I was far less engaged for the second half of the book, so if someone would like to come and tell me that something awesome happened while I was away floating on a cloud of not caring, that really wouldn't surprise me. Most of it was read without interest, some bits were even skimmed. I think it's fair to say that I won't be returning for the next book. Such a shame because I was genuinely very excited for Siege and Storm. ...more

flag 600 likes · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2018 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

”You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai?” I asked as I closed the book’s cover and headed for the door. “They always end up dead.”

Do you know the song “One to Make Her Happy” from Marque? No? That’s unfortunate, because while I read this book I had a horrible earworm and couldn’t get it out of my head. I was basically humming it the entire time and decided to change the name from Daisy to Alina. I’m sure by now you’re curious about the lyrics and I’m happy to oblige:

“One to make he ...more

flag 454 likes · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2018 Caz (littlebookowl) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first book, and I think it's partly because of my dislike for Mal, and partly because I found the moments between the high action points to be too slow/dull for my taste.

My favourite thing about this book was some of the new characters we meet, especially Sturmhond! I was also a little sad we didn't see quite as much of the Darkling, he is such an interesting character. ...more

flag 446 likes · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2019 The Burning Rose (Jess) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

5/5 stars.
This book was a thousand times better than the first.
The characters have improved, the plot has improved. It was thrilling, interesting, intriguing, it gave me the feeling that I couldn't put the book out of my hands. Anything that Lehigh Bardugo put into the plot in this book certainly helped the story. It's as if she saved herself with this plot.

The first addition I would like to point out is the pirates. I'm not sure what about you, but in my opinion, when pirates are involved, it's 5/5 stars.
This book was a thousand times better than the first.
The characters have improved, the plot has improved. It was thrilling, interesting, intriguing, it gave me the feeling that I couldn't put the book out of my hands. Anything that Lehigh Bardugo put into the plot in this book certainly helped the story. It's as if she saved herself with this plot.

The first addition I would like to point out is the pirates. I'm not sure what about you, but in my opinion, when pirates are involved, it's much more interesting. Although this is a bit of a risky matter, because a plot with pirates is very critical- either it's super excellent or it's bad. In this matter, the pirates saved Bardugo. Mostly Sturmhond, which I will mention later.

Let's talk about the darkling.
This fellow is invincible, how lovely, I'm all for it.
If you know me, you know how much I admire this character. Frankly, I think he’s the most intriguing character in this series. If it weren't for the darkling, these books wouldn't have been interesting.

In my review of the first book, I mentioned that Alina is a good character but not interesting enough. In this book her character is fantastic. Everything Alina has experienced made her to be a good character. And the biggest credit goes to the Darkling. Yes, him again. Applaud him, people, he deserves it. There’s nothing like a villain who deserves to be a villain.

Now, as I promised, there’s another character that I think has made this plot fascinating, and his nickname is Sturmhond, whose real name we discover in the middle of the book. This is a special, volatile character, totally intriguing. I found myself wishing to read more about him, to know him better. It’s so easy to love him, and it’s remarkable and commendable.

I'm not sure if I want to put Mal into this review, just as I wish he wasn't in the book. I know it sounds cruel, but I don't like him. And most importantly, I don't like his influence on Alina, unlike the other characters, who surround Alina and affect her (whether it's for the worse or for the better), it feels to me that Mal just lowers her even further to the bottom. On the other hand, I do know that if it wasn't for him, the plot would have been completely different, I don't know if for the better or not, and he did help Alina and was there for her. Maybe I just hope his character and influence were a little different.
In the first book he was like a distant figure, found mainly in Alina's thoughts. But he's an important character in this book, and I really wished he wasn't. Half of the book Alina worried and thought about Mal, which is tiring.

In addition, I would like to commend Leigh Bardugo for her writing. She writes excellently, her style is incredible and that makes her books more interesting. There’s a feeling in the background of a fog that makes everything invisible except what is on your hands.
I really liked the attention she gave Alina in this book. Like I said, Alina's character has improved. In this book, Alina realized that she and the darkling are equally unique and probably also just as powerful. Alina finally believes in her ability and ready to fight the Darkling , she even stole his spot, lol. I was so proud of her.
And I was proud of the darkling too. He survives, brave, charismatic, and oh my, how much I die for his sensitivity to Alina. I don't usually do that, but this time I definitely wish they were together. They are so matched, and he’s so right that no one can understand her the way he understands her.

I know there are other characters in the book that are worth talking about, but I decided not to overdo my reviews because they are always overly long, so I'll end the review here, thank you for reading.

P.S. Oh my God! My sweet Jenna?!?!?! ...more

flag 437 likes · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2018 Emma Giordano rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks

5 stars!

I really loved Siege & Storm! I had not delved into the Grishaverse Trilogy since reading book one in 2015, and I am saddened that it took me so long to go back to this amazing world!

I definitely struggled with the beginning of this book, but I feel it is a reflection of myself instead of the quality of the book. I’ve realized that jumping into sequels of books I haven’t read in years via audiobook is a habit I should break as I don’t retain much from the beginning on the story, but none ...more

flag 436 likes · Like · see review

Jul 03, 2020 She-who-must-not-be-named rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, romance

The Darkling and Nikolai's existence was the only thing that gave me willpower to get through this book. Mal annoyed the shit out of me and I thought Alina knew better :/ ...more

flag 432 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2019 Maria rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.”

OH YES BABY. THAT'S THE SHIT I LIKE TO SEE.And this how a very thorough and serious review begins, everybody! Take a seat and enjoy after this mini break for the plot summary!

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her ...more

flag 400 likes · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2021 Tharindu Dissanayake rated it really liked it

"Sulking gives you wrinkles."
"Perfect night for tearing a hole in the universe, no?"

Plot thickens... Making a long review of this one would be redundant, because the world building, style of writing, and the enjoyable nature of the main plot remain almost the same - and that's a good thing. So I'll just stick to the changes and plot highlights.

"I can't decide if you're crazy or stupid."

Siege and Storm picks up from the precise point where Shadow and Bone left things off, and the story takes a n ...more

flag 371 likes · Like · see review

May 22, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Duh. Everyone. #hairflip

Shelves: 2013-release, oh-yeah-baby, awesome, pure-win, macmillan, all-time-favorites, young-adult, cool-author, 2013-reads, yeah-baby-5-stars

I always go into a second book in a series with fears that it will have the dreaded "Second Book Syndrome". I worry that the characters will regress, the plot will stall and surmount to overall ridiculousness, and in the end, become boring and lathered in disappointment. So even though The Grisha series is a new favorite for me, I still had these concerns. You cannot even imagine my glee when I discovered Siege and Storm did NOT suffer from any of these things. On the contrary, it was even bette ...more

flag 336 likes · Like · see review

Jun 26, 2016 Drcong O ' rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, fantasy, endless-pain, cringe-romance, young-adult, i-dont-get-the-hype, literal-garbage

This book was such a massive disappointment, considering I actually really enjoyed the first book. Half of the time reading this book was me pissed-fucking-off and filled with all bullshit in the world I can't fucking even. Also, there are going to be spoilers ahead for this book. You have been warned.

※Bullshit #1: Mal. Ew.

description

What an annoying little mother fucker. You should probably know by now I fucking hate this guy more than anything in the world. WHY IS HE EVEN A PART OF THIS SERIES? Ugh he p ...more

flag 322 likes · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2015 Cait Jacobs (Caitsbooks) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: high-fantasy, young-adult, fantasy

This book introduces Nikolai, so I am legally not allowed to say anything negative about it.

(4.5/5 stars)

flag 324 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2019 Miranda Reads rated it did not like it

Life's too short for bad YA.

And yet, here I am. Again.

One very snarky review to come

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Snapchat @miranda.reads

Happy Reading! ...more

flag 306 likes · Like · see review

May 25, 2020 Sofia rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Someone who wants to feel pain

Recommended to Sofia by: My own insane self

Shelves: love-geometry, stock-side-characters, disappointments, gary-stu, lol-what-female-characters, well-that-was-a-cheap-plot, your-typical-ya-fantasy, my-villain-origin-story, mary-sue, failed-romance

Alina and Mal are even bigger idiots in this one. I didn't know that was possible, but here we are.

Somehow, Bardugo managed to squeeze every single YA trope into this book.

1. "Please don't hurt him! I'll do anything!"
2. Love dodecahedron
3. "Plain" MC with mousy brown hair *shudders*
4. Bland love interest
5. Stereotypical and predictable villain
6. Idiotic MCs
7. Comic relief

This book follows Alina and Mal, who are on the run from the Darkling. Alina has the first amplifier now, and is looking for ...more

flag 292 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2018 jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

this reread has made me realise one important thing - we, the readers, were robbed in ‘king of scars.’

nickolai lantsov, prince of ravka and my heart, grand duke of udova, sturmhond of the true sea and first of his name did not sacrifice so much for miss priss zoya to steal as much page time as she did. i cant stand her. sometimes i just wish she would summon water to drown herself. lol.

my anger aside, this series is, and still remains to be, the best ever.

↠ 5 stars

flag 298 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2017 Chelsea Humphrey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Enjoyed the audio of this much more than my first time reading the print version!

******************
Now listen here, I'm still on board with the series but about 70% of this book was SLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWWWW........

*super minor spoilers

While this was definitely an informative middle chapter to the trilogy, I can't help but be slightly disappointed that there just wasn't more. I found myself really excited in the final chapters with the sudden blaze of action, but couldn't help feeling like Bardugo sa ...more

flag 267 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2018 Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-young-adult

DNF @ 40%

Annnnnnd, I'm gonna wave the white flag here, peeps.

Despite having already read book one...

Despite having ALL three books physically on my shelf...

Despite those books being guarded by my beloved John Wick Funko POP...

description

I must bid adieu and part with said technicolor beauties.

Because BORED.
And because life is too short and my shelves too full.

Oh well.
Onward!

description

...more

flag 259 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2021 Ishika rated it really liked it

Once upon a time
A girl was born without a brain
A boy was born who grew up to be a big ass pain
Seeing them together made my energy drain
A bastard was born to reign
And the villain turned out to be typically insane
What will happen when these 4 people hold the rein to the readers brain.

Ok so let's start this review by saying "NIKOLAI IS NOT A PIRATE. HE IS A PRIVATEER." From now on whoever's gonna call him a pirate will be called stupid. Thank you very much :).

I like this book.Period. I hat ...more

flag 241 likes · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2013 Mitch rated it liked it

I think I might’ve been the only person who had one foot in each of the ‘Shadow and Bone is awesome’ and ‘Shadow and Bone is mediocre’ camps. Siege and Storm was supposed to be the book that made up my mind, but instead, I'm completely split... I truly do see why so many friends have raved about Leigh Bardugo's series - a part of me absolutely feels the same way - yet at the same time, another part, maybe a bigger part, has so many issues with the story I also have half a mind to angrily reject I think I might’ve been the only person who had one foot in each of the ‘Shadow and Bone is awesome’ and ‘Shadow and Bone is mediocre’ camps. Siege and Storm was supposed to be the book that made up my mind, but instead, I'm completely split... I truly do see why so many friends have raved about Leigh Bardugo's series - a part of me absolutely feels the same way - yet at the same time, another part, maybe a bigger part, has so many issues with the story I also have half a mind to angrily reject everything about this. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the odd man out with my half love half loathe view toward this sequel, but I don't think I've ever read a book that's left me so utterly frustrated between my mixed reactions.

To put it another way, I once compared Shadow and Bone to a masterfully constructed house of cards, and that's still true of Siege and Storm. It's a beautiful view, and I'd be dishonest if I said I didn't enjoy every minute of looking at it while it stood, and yet, at the same time, when I'm poking around, the whole thing falls apart, and I'd be dishonest too if I said that doesn't bother, nay, enrage me. Here's the thing, Leigh Bardugo is an excellent (some would say superficial) writer in the sense she can pull together character, setting, myth, and plot in a way that's epic, exciting, compelling, and just feels like reading a modern day folk tale, and that got to me, it really did. I'm not going to say I didn't feel what my raving friends felt, because I did - cool world building, tough heroine, epic fantasy, what's not to like?

But at the end of the day, Bardugo's talent is really making something out of nothing, because all those great qualities, if you think about it, is just that, nothing. Take for example Alina, who seems like this multifaceted character who has a complex relationship with power, but you know, she can't even answer the most basic question about her character - why is she doing any of this, taking charge, going up against the Darkling? Love of country? Nope, that's not it. Mal? Ha. The Darkling? Are you kidding me? Bardugo does a great job of fabricating this illusion of Alina as a complex and reluctant heroine, but behind the (admittedly awesome) writing, I just didn’t get a sense her character had any drive besides her relationship with Mal or whatever the plot demanded, and it seemed like to me she’s the kind of one dimensional character who can’t exist outside of being swept up by the plot.

As for the other characters, the Darkling's this well written, interesting evil character, but behind the facade is... nothing at all. Seriously, we know nothing about the Darkling or his motivations. I’m disappointed because Siege and Storm gave us zero development for his character, and all the praise seems to be directed at a blank slate who’s been the lucky beneficiary of some massive transference. And Mal (a.k.a. uninteresting designated love interest), I honestly don’t know why I tolerate him as much as I do, because his character really doesn’t exist outside of causing Alina angst, this time with well received new guy Sturmhond, who, if you think about it, is just an amalgam of every bad boy stereotype ever in one well written but blatantly cliched package (with one early confrontation scene between him and the Darkling leaving me steaming). Yet I'll admit, Bardugo has skills and she pulls all of this off, creating these seemingly complex characters that shouldn't be, but while part of me has no qualms with liking them, the other part's just irked by how superficial they are.

Then again, my view of the plot is just as equally conflicted. On one hand, the pacing, beyond a bizarre turnabout involving the Darkling's reappearance in the first chapter or two, totally worked and had me hooked the whole way through, wondering if Alina could truly beat her nemesis - it's just that riveting. On the other, the plot blatantly screams 'quest to find MacGuffin' and 'obvious rehash of the first book' with pretty much the same structure down to the same convenient nonending, and you know, I liked working my way through the story at the same time that I hated it. Like I said, it's a testament to Leigh Bardugo's skill as a writer that she can make such blatantly shallow elements work in her book, and I love that they work but hate how I can so easily recognize what she's done.

Anyway, I have a feeling everyone who loved the first book will love this too. I'm also pretty sure those who didn't will laugh this one off as well. And that leaves me in the middle with my conflicted opinions, anticipating the final book yet griping about my dissatisfaction at the same time. ...more

flag 204 likes · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Wendy Darling rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013-publication, june, crush-worthy-boys, fantasy, 2013-favorites, read-2013, food-porn, historical-fantasy, russia, macmillan

Our Conversation with Leigh Bardugo is up, along with an opportunity to win our Siege and Storm ARC!

4.5 stars Siege and Storm is an exquisite jewel of a book. The second installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy is full of adventure and magic--and in my view, it's even better than Shadow and Bone.

There are flying ships. A thrilling, poignant scene with a magnificent white ice dragon. A whirling, frenzied volcra attack in the night. A sobering ride through the city of Novokribirsk, where name ...more

flag 202 likes · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2015 Brittney ~ Reverie and Ink rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-villians, absolute-favorites, fantasy, favorite-couples, top-of-the-top, favorite-heroines, steampunk-ish, best-audiobooks

Holy freaking crap.

You know when a book is so good... so captivating.. that you cannot find the words to even give it a worthy review? Even now, I find myself without many words to express how much I love this series.

So I'm just going to leave you with a few reasons this book is totally legit.

1. PIRATES. Snarky ones.
2. STEAMPUNK STEAMPUNK STEAMPUNK!!!!
3. BADASS MAGIC
4. YES, this book is much darker than the first.
5. Mind games. Crazy ones. The struggle is real [and swoon worthy]
6. Alina's cha ...more

flag 199 likes · Like · see review

May 22, 2012 Kat Kennedy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fun-fantasy, to-ya-or-not-to-ya, kat-s-book-reviews, favorites, ya-pnr-maddness, leaves-awesomeness-behind

Sequels are really hard to write reviews for. Mostly because people don’t want to read them for fear of spoilers, but keeping them spoiler free makes it difficult to properly discuss the book. So now I’m going to have to do this review in code.

In Siege and Storm Alina and Mal are on the run from the Darkling. They meet Pumpkin who has the ability to help Alina defeat the Darkling. Problem is, Mal and Pumpkin don’t get on at all. Also, the Darkling can now line dance which adds a level of complic Sequels are really hard to write reviews for. Mostly because people don’t want to read them for fear of spoilers, but keeping them spoiler free makes it difficult to properly discuss the book. So now I’m going to have to do this review in code.

In Siege and Storm Alina and Mal are on the run from the Darkling. They meet Pumpkin who has the ability to help Alina defeat the Darkling. Problem is, Mal and Pumpkin don’t get on at all. Also, the Darkling can now line dance which adds a level of complication. As well as line dancing, which makes a dark and creepy addition to the novel, the Darling drives a wedge between Mal and Alina by knitting. Also, I think he may be losing the plot a little.

Twilight gone mad

Firstly, Bardugo’s writing has dramatically improved. Siege & Storm is a far smoother novel, both in terms of writing craft and pacing. The tension is always ramped up, the drama meter is set to erupt and before you realize what is happening, it all explodes in your face, leaving you clutching at the tattered remains of your heart and an ego that is no longer ashamed to see you crawl onto twitter to cry on Bardugo’s shoulder.

I can’t really talk too much about the characters without giving it away – but Alina kicked butt in this installment. Especially when she got hold of her aardvark. No more doe-eyed victim. She really struggles and grapples with her goiter. What does her goiter mean for her? For Mal? For the future of Ravka? And was the Darkling right about that Chinese finger box between Mal and Alina? Mal struggles the most in this novel as he is a salt mine. And in his salt mineyness he deteriorates and loses a lot of faith. I have a feeling he learned a lot about himself in this novel.

Everyone grows and changes, even the Darkling a little and I wonder if he’ll let Alina continue to cross stitch, or if he’s finally going to seriously back stitch her? Or has his line dancing finally started to shake him up? So many questions, so many moral and ethical dilemmas.

There is little doubt that Pumpkin stole the show and I applaud Bardugo for his inclusion. He certainly made life interesting and added a great comedic element to the book. Overall, Siege and Storm managed to be a stronger novel than the first. Now I absolutely can’t wait for the next!

*This review also appears on my blog, Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.*

An ARC was provided to me by Macmillan for reviewing purposes. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. ...more

flag 197 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2021 mel ☽ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: the-dumbassery-yall, young-adult, meh, fantasy

2.25 stars ✩⋆

ok i was gonna write a whole ass review but i just found out that my open book exam is actually a closed book exam so your girl is
S-T-R-U-G-G-L-I-N-G at the moment.

so since i'm too lazy, i'll just summarize my feelings towards the characters cuz it's therapeutic to rant because y'all... the dumbassery in this book. i can't.

➳ alina:
bish ARE YOU DUMB? you're gonna go and pine for that musty ass boy who chose every other girl and never looked your way until some other man noticed yo ...more

flag 194 likes · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2021 Beenish rated it it was ok

2★ | because a book with Nikolai in it deserves to be rated.—otherwise this book gets 0 stars from me.

We do our best. We try. And usually, it makes no difference at all.

This book also deserves a rating coz I read it when I was feeling very low and so many lines made me feel relatable and better. For example, the line I quoted above.

Now, coming back to the book talk,
Does the plot get better? No.
Does the protagonist get better? No.
Does the love interest get better? No.
Does the villain ...more

flag 184 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2017 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it liked it · review of another edition

The first book was a surprise for me - I had low expectations as I was basically reading this trilogy to read the Six of Crows duology.

I was excited to continue and this book fell short. 4 guys, 1 "oh so plain" girl... you get it.

I still love the magic system and the world and I'm hoping things will get better in the third book! ...more

flag 181 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2021 Ayman rated it liked it

this was slow but ok i guess. easily could have been 75 pages less. please tell me it gets better in book 3? also why was mal so annoying in this book? i know how things turn out for them but gah damn son can you shut up? literally nikolai is the only one i care for at this point. i just wanna get to king of scars already.

flag 177 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Nikolai >>	1	3	Aug 20, 2022 06:11AM
The Midnight Readers: siege and storm - abi & rebekah	45	30	Jul 20, 2022 09:19PM
The Procrastinato...: Siege and Storm (April 2022) Buddy Read Discussion - Sophie & Amanda	19	20	Apr 18, 2022 03:19PM
Book Nerds Unite: Siege & Storm Buddy Read \| SPOILERS!!!	75	32	Feb 25, 2022 12:59PM
Grishaverse Group : * Siege and Storm	3	23	Feb 02, 2022 05:06PM
Fantasy Reads: Buddy Read- Siege and Storm	2	10	Jan 03, 2022 10:37AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Videos About This Book

SCARLET by Marissa Meyer (Book Two in The Lunar Chronicles)

5 comments

Genres

Fantasy

16,860 users

Young Adult

6,582 users

Romance

2,007 users

Fiction

1,436 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Fantasy

1,392 users

Fantasy > Magic

1,215 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

813 users

Adventure

587 users

Audiobook

503 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

337 users

See top shelves…

About Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo

133,061 followers

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an assoc ...more