Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone #2)

 Synopsis

Alina Starkov's power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner- hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can't outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina's magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina's destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darling's deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice- and only she can face the oncoming storm.

Loved

• Nikolai. Nikolai is truly a gift to the literary world. I've heard a lot about him from reading reviews and the Bookstagram culture, so I had fairly high expectations for his character, and he did not disappoint. He is always quick with a comeback, extremely witty, never outsmarted, and devastating in his confidence. He is truly the best part of this book and his sarcasm and wit diffuse every situation and make each scene memorable. I would read this story just for him and I can't wait to get more of him in this trilogy and in his own series!

• Tamar and Tolya. These two are right behind Nikolai and are *almost* as lovable with their fierce loyalty, quick friendships, and witty banter. This book is so fun because we get to know these new characters who add so much to the story with their humor and sarcasm, which is needed as the stakes get higher and the battles bloodier.

• The unfolding mysteries. This world is fascinating with the history of the Grisha, the mysterious background of the Darkling, and the unsolved mysteries of Morozova and the amplifiers. In this second book we get many more plot reveals and mysteries starting to unfold about this world, its people, and its history- which is compelling and keeps us safe from the dreaded second-book syndrome.

• Mal. I know a lot of people don't like Mal, but I still just think he's so good to Alina and honestly deserves better than her. He is constantly loyal- never wavering in his devotion to her even through so many twists and turns in their story together. I think he is just so loyal and I hope Alina realizes how good he is to her as the series continues!

Didn't Love

• The one complaint I have about this book is that poor Mal gets put through so much and becomes angsty, but for good reason. I feel sad for him because he is so loyal to Alina, but she has so much else on her mind, and she's becoming out of his reach. Mal's angstiness was a little frustrating, but given the circumstances, understandable. 

Content

• Language: 
• Occasional uses of "damn," "hell," and "a**."

• Sexual content: 
• A few kisses between the main m/f couple. Kisses are fairly brief, not a lot described.
• One kiss with main female character and another male- point of the kiss is to make a public statement.
• A few kisses with main female character and another male- these are a little more sensual, described with him kissing her collarbone and neck, and hands rubbing over each other. In one of these kisses, the girl is deceived into thinking she is kissing the boy she loves.
• Some suggestive comments made in banter and jest.

• Violence
• Very bloody end of the book- many people are killed by the volcra shadow monsters. Descriptions of people being thrown off the roof, torn open, maimed, eaten, etc.
• Battles with volcra where many people and secondary characters are killed, also people killing each other with knives, arrows, swords and Grisha powers. People are killed with the Cut, which slices them in half.
• A woman's eyes are taken out for disobedience.
• A woman is maimed beyond recognition and her face is completely scarred. 
• Intense scene where a character sacrifices herself by trying to use her power to drain someone else's- they both nearly die and receive wounds from this.


• Other themes:
• Alina is seen as a saint and cults begin to form to worship her. The cults get to the point of fanaticism. Some religious themes with martyrdoms and saints.

Overall Thoughts

I was worried this book might suffer from second book syndrome like so many middle books do in trilogies, but happily this story keeps us engaged with vibrant new characters, a rapidly developing plot, intense action scenes, and unfolding mysteries. In my opinion Nikolai is the best part of this book- bringing wit, swagger and sarcasm to every conversation he's in, which gives the story a light-heartedness that nicely complements the growing darkness of the Darkling's power and greed. I found this second book to be compelling and entertaining, and I'm totally here for what happens in the last book of the series!