This is the conclusion to my much beloved Shadow and Bone trilogy, and I still have mixed feelings about this book. Spoilers ahead, so you've been warned!
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Page Length: 422 pages
Publisher: Hatchette Children's Group (January 1, 2018)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
Here’s a plot synopsis from GoodReads: 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.
This book gutted me. I so desperately craved a resolution to this series that I wanted, and Leigh Bardugo took the easy way out on this one. I don't blame her, not really; this was her first book series, and the ending I (and I think most of the fandom now) wanted was a major risk. And, if she had done it wrong, so to speak, it could have also been a career ender IMO. That being said, though, doesn't dampen my NEED for that ending.
This book was, at times, savage. The characters had all reached their breaking points in this book, and Alina, the Darkling, and Mal were spiraling. I suspected the "major twist" about a book and a half ago, and I was right. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say this: freaking Mal is always ready to ruin my freaking day. My heart broke for Nikolai and everything he had to endure during this book. He is far too pretty and far to stylish for all that!
This book, though, truly unveiled how savage the Darkling would be for what he wanted. Burning an orphanage to the ground to prove a point to Alina? Savage, yet also a power move. Their connection, though tenuous at times, was also so telling. I mean, come on Alina! The Darkling wants you the way you are, he doesn't want you to change, he wants you to embrace your power...sure, he needs to quit murdering people and drink a 7up, but he wants you for you! That, my friend, is not an easy man to find, and we all have to overlook some flaws in our soulmate. Of course, Alina doesn't see it my way, and she messes up the easiest game of f-marry-kill that ever existed. I mean, is it terrifying when the Darkling tells Alina, "I will strip away all that you know, all that you love, until you have no shelter but mine," ? Yes, yes it is. Does it also send a delicious shiver down my back, full of anticipation and promise of wicked things to come? Also a resounding yes.
Enter Mal, boring as dirt and only wants Alina if she can be as boring as he is. I mean, come on! Even his "lovemaking" seemed boring, and I'm sure it was. I don't have to experience sex with Mal to know it will be very generic and vanilla. Sigh, Alina, sigh.
All that being said, the ending of the book was really well executed in my opinion, even if it wasn't the ending I wanted. Leigh Bardugo didn't rush the book, and she paid attention to every necessary detail. We lost some characters we loved (some of which I mourned until King of Scars, and then I rejoiced, IYKYK), and we gained some characters that will be important moving forward. I still love the Grishaverse, even if Leigh Bardugo took the easy way out on this chapter of the story.
If you enjoy YA fantasy books, you will definitely enjoy these books as a whole. They are full of magic, intrigue, villainy, and even a little good old fashioned longing and pining. Pick up this series. You won't be sorry!
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