Siege and Storm is the second book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. It follows Alina Starkov as she tries to stop the evil Darkling from using his powers to invade and take over Ravka, her home country. The Darkling is a man, hundreds of years old, who is the most powerful Grisha (wizard) in the world. He crated the Fold, a rift of darkness filled with monsters. Alina is the only Sun Summoner in the world, which means she is the only one who can stop the Darkling by using light to stop him from expanding the fold and destroying Ravka. Since Alina needs to stop the Darkling, she uses amplifiers to increase her power to fight him, but as she gains more power, she begins to lose her humanity and craves her power more and more. This is a big conflict in the book, as she begins to question her values and sense of self.
I loved this book because it had a easy-to-follow storyline and very well-developed characters. There were lots of twists that were realistic and added new parts to the story. The book was especially enjoyable because it was very easy for me to understand and empathize with the characters. At some points I was laughing and at some points I was crying. It made me feel anxious when there were battles, curious when new characters were introduced, and surprise when a new aspect of the story was revealed. Sometimes while I was reading I found myself holding my breath but still unable to put the book down.
Siege and Storm is is a very well-written fantasy that dives deep into its storyline, characters, and setting. Throughout the story, new facets of the protagonists, antagonists, and others were being revealed to show them as unique and three dimensional. It made me rethink ideas I already had about power, privilege, and identity. I recommend the book if you like immersive stories with heart-wrenching twists. I do not recommend reading this book if you like to stop in the middle for long periods of time or if you want a light read.
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