Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 448
For ages 13+
"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 and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm." -Goodreads
So I haven't done in a review in who knows how long and school's out so LET'S DO THIS THANG. Also, I'm being a capsaholic today so don't mind the random shouting of words.
This book. HOLY STINKIN' COW. So amazing. I can't even put into words how amazing this book is. If you all remember my review of the first book, Shadow and Bone, you'll know I LOVED it and let me just tell you all this book was NO DIFFERENT.
I probably cried about mmm... I would say maybe FOUR TIMES. I don't think I have ever cried as hard while reading a book as I had reading this book. This book is pretty emotionally straining, not gonna lie. We can all thank Leigh for that one. I know she not so secretly loves it, though.
Alina? Amazing. Just plain amazing. I hadn't read Shadow and Bone in a while and I had forgotten just how hilarious this girl is. I mean, I would give you quotes but it's an ARC and I had it for about a week before I had to give it back. But take my word for it, she's awesome. Also, this girl goes through SO MUCH CRAP. Oh my gravy. This book is filled to the brim with heartache and sorrow. She has hard decisions being thrown at her left and right and to top it all off, she's got boyfriend issues too.
Which brings me to my next topic... FLIPPING MAL. This was pretty much the basis of all and every cry I had during this reading experience. There was one point where I literally set the book down, stared at the wall for a couple of seconds, and then had a good cry. And trust me it was a BLUBBERING, SOBBING, UGLY cry. It was plain torture and amazingness all rapped up into one. Mal is still super swoony and the romance is still there but it's strained and Alina and Mal have some rough patches. And if you are like me there may be some blubbering, sobbing, ugly, crying in your near future.
Not only is there Mal in this book but there's also the Darkling and ANOTHER GUY, Sturmhond. Leigh seriously knows how to write the swoony boys. I don't know how she does it, but she manages to write them QUITE well. Don't get me wrong I'm still a huge part of Team Mal, but Sturmhond may just change your mind. There's also that other guy, you know the Darkling. Yeah... I've finally decided how I feel about him. Wanna know? I VERY MUCH DISLIKE THE MAN. Sorry to say he is just plain evil in this book and you see no sign of the possibly sweet Darkling you thought you saw in the first book. That's not necessarily a bad thing, either. I mean, he is a villain after all. But it's sad to know that he didn't "redeem" himself in this book.
The ending will nearly kill you. You will be speechless and then if you're like me, you'll want to scream and yell and tell everyone you know what kind of emotional abuse you were just put through. But it is SO WORTH IT. This book is flawless and amazing and made me feel all the feels, some I didn't even realize I could feel when reading a book. If you want an example here's a text I sent to Trisha after I finished:
As you can see I didn't really take it all that well. But I got over it and now I get to wait who knows how long to wait for the next one to see just how all of this stuff is going to be resolved because I honestly have no idea.
I was enthralled with this book from the first page to the last, from sad to happy, filled with laughs to filled with tears. I can't even begin to explain how much of an impact this book made on me. I highly recommend and cannot wait until it comes out soon so I can buy myself my own copy. Five out of five diva crowns!
Thank you so much for reading and hopefully I get back into the swing of things so I can review all summer! Hope the rest of your week is filled with *SPARKLES!*
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Oh! And if anyone wants a super mini playlist while reading this book I made one. It's not very long and almost completely filled with Coldplay songs but Leigh's playlist hadn't been released yet and I needed some music to get me in the mood:
A Rush Of Blood to the Head- Coldplay
Daylight- Coldplay
X&Y-Coldplay
Winter Song- Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson
Twisted Logic- Coldplay
Low- Coldplay
Winter Prayer- Leigh Bardugo, herself!
