Review: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Darkness, Light and the Shades in between.....

Title: Siege and Storm
Series: The Grisha  
Author: Leigh Bardogo  
Publisher: MiraInk  
Released: 6th of June, 2013  
My ratings: 5 out of 5 stars.
 Siege and Storm is the brilliant sequel to the amazing Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardogo. I find 5 star reviews particularly difficult to write and I don't know where to begin. What is it that works for one story and doesn't for others? Is it simply the writing, the prose, the pace, the plot, the characters or the world building? Or perhaps it simply is the coming together of all of the above in a manner that pleases you and makes the experience of reading a good book. The reason I love reading is I get to discover gems amongst many mediocre books. and I believe this is half of the fun. I love how you keep looking and then you find this amazing read and bang! You love it. This was what I felt while reading Shadow and Bone. After this I picked up Siege and Storm with some apprehension as I did believe Shadow and Bone was a difficult act to follow on but needn't had worried. Siege and Storm was that and more.

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

We see so much growth of characters and we also get to watch Alina grow more and more comfortable with her powers and ironically how it's putting her on unease. My heart broke for steady, loyal Mal. I really liked how Bardugo brought real issues between their relationship. IT didn't have the forbidden relation regurgitation we get to see in YA so often. At this point I'm sad for Mal and angry at him too. I won't give away spoilers so I'll be keeping mum about it.

“He tapped the sun over his heart. "I came here for you. You're my flag. You're my nation.”

Then we come to the Darkling, who unfortunately had a lot less page time but his presence was still felt. what I love the most about the Grisha Series is not only the world and magic but also the characters as to how each one of them have various shades of grey. No one is trust worthy or' good' not even Alina. The Darkling, I believe represents this as I believe he has the best thought provoking dialogues in this series. Logic may say he is evil and mad but somehow I keep grasping on the hope that perhaps there is more to him. I desperately hope that happens in Ruin and Rising.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to work at my desk.
 Long minutes passed. I didn’t think he would answer. 
I even had time to hope he might have gone, until I felt his hand on my shoulder. 
 “Then I’d be alone, too," he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.” 

Leigh Bardugo does not cut corners and she is brutal in the fearless portrayal of the dark side of her characters. I love that even Alina, is not far away from a certain type of madness and the irony that even if the Darkling and Alina are two opposite sides of the spectrum, one Dark while the other summons Light, they are similar in a way which cannot be told but only be shown which I'm glad that Bardogo does justice to.

“I've seen what you truly are," said the Darkling, "and I've never turned away. I never will. Can he say the same?” 

Another character worth mentioning was Stormhound who was most intriguing. Bardogo knows how to create flawed characters which somehow endear themselves to you and Storm hound was no exception. He is cunning, brave, charming and dare I say almost interesting enough to make up for the missing Darkling. Almost.

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

Siege and Storm was an excellent sequel in every manner. It had a tight plot with the right place. It didn't feel like a filler which is a common problem with sequels in a Trilogy. The world Bardugo pushes you into is beautiful, dangerous and pushes the limits of your imagination. It's characters so complex that you can somehow understand them and feel for them even as they walk down the path of no redemption. Siege and Storm was the best sequel I have read so far this year and I do hope I get my hands on Ruin and Rising soon before I go crazy with anticipation. I'd recommend it to every not only Ya readers but to everyone who likes a bit of escapism into a intricate world of magic, kingdoms, power, love friendship and most of all hope.

Dare You To Blog Tour: Tour Stop + Giveaway

Hello and welcome to my stop of the Dare You To Blog Tour.

Today I’m pleased to bring you the playlist and an extract to go with the scene from this awesome book. Lets start with the blurb. 

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does.... 

 Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. 

 But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all... 

Excited yet? This Katie McGarry’s second book . The first book Pushing The Limits (read my review here ) made many waves around the YA book circuit and Dare You To, dare I say, is even better. Read my review of Dare You To here. Need more convincing? Below is the playlist and the extract chosen by Katie herself. Check it out.


 

The firelight flickers against Ryan’s tan, giving his face a beautiful bronze glow. Gold shines in his hair. He’s gorgeous. Honestly he is, and he wants me to dance. Could this day get any worse?

 Ryan steps closer and flashes an all-knowing smile that makes him adorable and me weak. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again.

 The music changes from superfast to a bit slower. Its strong beat mimics the frantic pounding in my chest. Ryan rests a hand on my hip and his heat seeps into my skin and creeps into my bloodstream. “Dance with me, Beth.” 

“No.” I’m definitely learning impaired. I whispered the reply. I might as well have screamed yes. Ryan places his other hand on the small of my back and moulds his strong body to mine. I inhale and welcome the scent of warm earth and summer rain. Ryan smells… delicious.

 “This works better if you touch me,” he says.

 I loosely lay my hands on his shoulders. My skin tingles. “I’m only doing this because I owe you.” 

“That’s okay.” On rhythm, Ryan moves his hips from side to side. His hand slides an inch lower and the gentle pressure he exerts on my thigh stirs my body to sway in time with his. Our feet never leave the ground, but, I swear, I’m flying.

Now you are convinced on how awesome this book is? Need a copy now? Well, don’t say I’m not nice. Fill the Rafflecopter below to get a chance to win one of five copies of Dare You To. UK only. Yes I know, you can start making love sonnets on how great I am now.

About Katie McGarry 

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts.

 Katie is the author of the full-length Young Adult novels PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO, and the e-novella CROSSING THE LINE. Her debut novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS, is a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction. Katie’s next novel CRASH INTO YOU will published by Mira Ink in December 2013.

 Katie would love to hear from her readers - contact her via Twitter @KatieMcGarry

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here to buy a copy from Amazon  and watch the book trailer here.

Stacking the Shelves and Letterbox Love

Stacking The Shelves by Tynga's Reviews is a feature/blog hop, where fellow book bloggers like myself can share what books or ARCs we received, bought or borrowed.

Letterbox Love is a new weekly meme hosted by Narratively Speaking. UK book bloggers have joined together and made a British version of a mailbox meme which is excellent. As I already participate in Stacking the Shelves, I will be adding this to my list too.

My dear Escapists,

It's been a long time since I did a LetterBox Love/ STS. My apologies. The only excuse I have is that I have been taking it easy on blogging and memes sometimes put pressure on you to post. Anyway,as it has been quiet on the blogging front books and ARC have been slow too. I have been catching up on my TBR and trying not to be to too greedy.

So here's what I have this week.

ARC I received

 

Giveaway - win one of 5 copies of Dare you To by Katie McGarry

Weekly wrap -up

Blog Tour and Give Away of Dare You by Katie McGarry
Cover Lover -US cover of  Crash into You 
Waiting on Wednesday - The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon 
Review - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 
Cover Lover - Tainted by A.E Rought



I'm really excited to read The Weight of Souls as Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry do amazing and wonderful books.

Cover Lover

CRASH INTO YOU (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry

Ok, how awesome is the cover? I love the red car seat and the fact that Isaiah loves cars and they are lying in the car. *squeel* This is the US cover and I cannot wait for this book. I loved Dare You to and Pushing the Limits and I'm sure this book will rock too.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted on Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

So my Pick this week is;

THE BONE SEASON (The Scion #1) by Samantha Shannon
It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.
Releases on the 20th of August, 2013.

I'm really excited about this book. It's been a while since I've read a hard core Urban fanatsy book with a strong heroine.  This book will be right up my street.

Review; Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

"You and I are going to change the world"

Title: Shadow and Bone (Gathering Dark)
Author: Leigh Bardugo  
Series: The Grisha
Publisher: Indigo
My ratings: 5 out of 5 stars.  
Released: June, 2012
 Usually when I write reviews, I try to start by explaining the premise briefly so that my readers have some inkling as to what I'm on about. This time. Well, I came up with a blank. I don't know where to begin. Leigh Bardugo has stitched a world piece by piece so intricate and complicated and yet so vivid that I will not be able to give it justice. However I will try. Alina thinks she is a measly map maker until she is discovered to be the country's saviour and that she has special powers to annihilate the Shadow Fold. From there she is taken away to train and live with the other Grisha( magic bearers to put it roughly). There is magic, mystic, mystery and dark creatures. Damn, even now I cant give it justice without boring you all to death.Let's just say that you have to read to find out what I'm talking about. Shadow and Bone is a brilliant debut by Leigh which ticked all the boxes for me. When got hold of this book I couldn't stop. I pretty much read it in a day. Already fed up of the usual werewolf and vampires I jump at anything which is not the above two.

“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world.”

Alina was a heroine which in your typical YA fashion was clueless about everything but what I loved was under her naivety she was clever. Thank god she was not whinny and I'm glad she was not written like that. Obviously there were a few distressing moment and some tears were shed but not one moment did I feel that Alina was not strong enough to get over it. Alina kept on insisting that she was not what everybody thought she was and that there had been some sort of mistake. Unfortunately, there was a sort of love triangle which in normal circumstances would have annoyed me but it was very well done. It was very apt to the underlying character of Alina, an orphan trying to find her place amongst the world. On one side was love and the other side was well, lust. I'm glad it was made clear that hopefully Alina understand what she feels for each of the men.

“I'm not like you, Mal. I never really fit in the way you did. I never really belonged anywhere." 
"You belonged with me.”

Shadow and Bone introduces us , which I believe, one of the most intriguing characters in all the YA I've read so far. I say so because Leigh has written him as a complex, intriguing, and of course confusing characters. There are hidden depths to him and I believe we have only scratched the surface as far as he is concerned. In my opinion, he was the one that made the book as I keep on guess what will happen next the events which took place left my mouth hanging open. Mal was a great love interest too. Steadfast, strong and handsome in an earthy way he was all that was good and I could see why I has a popular fan base but I like my darkness.

“The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, "is that it makes us weak.”

I'm not sure if I'm doing justice to this book as I find that the books I really like, my reviews for them fail to emphasis the point on how and why I loved them. The world was immaculate and I loved the use of Russian culture and lifestyle used through out. I couldn't help but notice the underlying themes running within. What I found most interesting was how similar Alina and the Darkling were. Some may not agree but I believe no matter whom Alina ends up with, she was discover who she is meant to be.

“Mal,"I whispered into the night. 
"What?" 
"Thanks for finding me."
 "Always.”

I absolute loved Shadow and Bone which kept me riveted to till the end. The world building was not only intricate but beautiful and dangerous enough to feel the trill in your bones. The story telling was good sometimes slow but even that put you on the edge as you knew something big was going to happen. I cannot wait for Siege and Storm coming out next week and I'm so glad I don't have to wait too long as Shadow and Bone left me gasping like a fish for Siege and Storm. Bring on the Darkling.

Cover Lover

TAINTED BY A.E Rought

I loved the cover for Broken ( read my review here) which was Gothic and beautiful This is on it own is good Broken set the bar high. Atleast they have a theme and not completely different from each other.