Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

 Soldier. Summoner. Saint.

The nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. The Darkling rules from his shadow throne while a weakened Alina Starkov recovers from their battle under the dubious protection of the zealous who worship her as a Saint. Now her hopes lie with the magic of a long-vanished ancient creature and the chance that an outlaw prince still survives. As her allies and enemies race toward war, only Alina stands between her country and a rising tide of darkness that could destroy the world. To win this fight, she must seize a legend’s power -  but claiming the firebird may be her ruin.

Ruin and Rising, though seemingly much wordier and much slower at the beginning than its predecessors, rings true with excitement and intrigue. Politics bounce around over the fate of Ravka as Alina is put to the test repeatedly. Her ultimate choice in the end, is not one I expected and I appreciate how the author ended the trilogy though long desperately for more. Great trilogy. Great books and worthy of Netflix attention. I can only hope the streaming service will do it justice.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

 

Soldier. Summoner. Saint.

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 her 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 toe lead the Grisha army. But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’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.

Siege and Storm is a worthy sequel to Shadow and Bone, diving into Alina’s story even more with twists and turns I could have never predicted. Not as good as the first book by nature, this second installment is still full of intrigue and action, forbidden magic and love and definitely a more detailed glimpse of who Alina is as a person with and without her magic. It is more interesting to see Alina struggle back and forth with her power as well as the inner struggle of more than just her character. Definitely a worthy follow up.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Soldier. Summoner. Saint.

Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold - a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed. Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue, as she trains with the Grisha - her country’s magical military elite - and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift. As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Welcome to the beginning of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse... this first glimpse into a world full of magic and forbidden power is a welcome change to the young adult books out there right now. A big thanks to Netflix for putting this book onto the screen and for bringing it to my attention. Published in 2013, Shadow and Bone was something I needed and did not know it. It is so... good. Purely complicated, deliciously intriguing, there’s so much packed within these pages. 

Netflix did a pretty good job with their adaptation, keeping to the original story pretty closely, with a few minor exceptions that are easy to forgive. Definitely worth reading the book if you want more... detail, mystery, action, intrigue... everything, really. So so good. Enjoy!

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

 

Dear reader, if there was ever a sequel to follow up the illustrious The Duke and I, this would be it. Expounding on a story of London debutantes and eligible bachelors, the story follows the eldest brother of aforementioned Daphne Bridgerton, now Daphne Basset, the Duchess of Hastings, having married the Duke of Hastings, Simon, in the last book.

Anthony Bridgerton, however annoying he seemed in the first book, has come to be quite the rake, as will be mentioned a thousand times in the book featuring his story.

The Viscount Who Loved Me takes two unlikely characters and matches them together in an unlikely way, with wit and humor that is otherwise not often seen in stories featured in the 19th century London scene. Laughter abounds in this story as the two main characters from a love/hate relationship only to find themselves entangled in a web of desire and past trauma that eventually brings them together despite their annoyance with one another. Featuring appearances from the rest of the Bridgerton family, including the Duke and Duchess of Hastings themselves occasionally, one cannot but love the interactions, loyalty and competitiveness amongst the Bridgertons and their significant others. 

“This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. London’s most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry - he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield - the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...  Kate is quite sure that, contrary to popular belief, reformed rakes do not make the best husbands - and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister - but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to o resist the reprehensible rake herself...”

While I must remain loyal to the first novel of the series, The Duke and I, I cannot help but give this sequel a 10/10 for its humorous storyline, drama, love, sensuality and happily ever after ending. It will definitely be worth a reread. 

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

As is so often said by Lady Whistledown herself... Hello, dear reader...

It has been nearly three years since my last blog entry and I am happy to be back. After the birth of my son at the end of 2017 and pursuing a bachelors degree in art history over the last three years, I’m happy to say hello once again and welcome back to Babbling Books, where I give a synopsis of the books I’m currently reading as well as my own personal review of them.

The first book I picked up, having hopped aboard the Bridgerton train on Netflix, is of course, Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I. It is amazing to me that Quinn’s books were not as popular until Netflix picked them up and turned them into a deliciously amazing drama. Yet, unlike many books turned movies/tv shows, the books in this case have so far proven to be exceedingly superior although I have yet to meet an individual who can not abide the tv series. I adore the series and so I have picked up the first book, read it in less than 24 hours, given its easy read, charming wit and delectable storylines.

If you are a fan of the Bridgerton tv series I suggest you pick up this book and give it a read. It is deliciously easy, quick and charming. It has been a long time coming that I have picked up a book so easily consumable. 

“In the ballroom and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsy before a prince - while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable... but not too amiable. Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen. Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society - just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar. The plan works like a charm - at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cutthroat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: Love ignores every rule...”

For this reader, this book easily gets a 9 out of 10. Full of charm, wit, playful banter, sensuality, heat, intrigue, drama, and playfulness... this novel has it all.