I've been writing a lot of posts about romance books and I want to bring it back to my original favorite genre, fantasy. The author I'm going to introduce today has been around awhile. I just read one of her books about a two years ago. That book was, Six of Crows (Duology). However, I didn't realize the trilogy, Shadow & Bone, was the predecessor to the Six of Crows books. I'm going to share my thoughts on the books I've read by Leigh. I'll also share the links to Leigh's information and her books.
Shadow & Bone Trilogy
Note: You can buy a bundle of all 3 books on kindle for $19.89. Link here
Book One: Shadow & Bone
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 Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.
I really enjoyed book 1. I liked finding out the history of Grisha and seeing Alina try to figure out her powers. I liked the Darkling even if he was sketchy at times. I'm sad we lose some quality Alina and Mal time, but don't worry that doesn't last long 😉 Shadow & Bone really sets the bar high for this series. I was craving more after I finished this.
Book Two: Siege & Storm
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 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.
Well, this book was a bit of a slower read for me. Spending a majority of the time looking for the amplifiers. I don't know I just felt like it was very repetitive. I still enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to start the last one, but it just took me awhile to finish Siege & Storm.
Book Two: Siege & Storm
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 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 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.
Well, this book was a bit of a slower read for me. Spending a majority of the time looking for the amplifiers. I don't know I just felt like it was very repetitive. I still enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to start the last one, but it just took me awhile to finish Siege & Storm.
Book Three: Ruin & Rising
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 zealots 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.
Amazing. The concluding novel kept me on the edge of my seat the majority of the time I read it. Compared to book 2 this one ramped up and stayed there. I loved every second of this book. Mal & Alina make me happy. I love Nikolai. I loved everything about this. I can't wait for Nikolai's story.
Six of Crows Duology
Note: You can buy the two books together on amazon for $15.60. Link here
Book One: Six of Crows
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets—a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
This book starts out a bit dry, but it picks up speed quickly. I finished this book before Crooked Kingdom was release and I lost track of the series until recently. I do wonder, if the beginning wouldn't have felt so dry, if I'd have read the Shadow & Bone trilogy first. Just a thought, I'm not sure that's the case, but it could be true. I'm going to re-read this series before I start Crooked Kingdom. I might give a more detailed response to the story then. I do know that I loved Kaz and I was sad to finish this book without book 2 being ready. That is not the case anymore 😉
Book Two: Crooked Kingdom
I have not read this book yet. It is on my TBR read. I will give an updated review once I've finished the book 😊
Face your demons...or feed them. The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.
Nikolai Duology
This series is set to take place after the Shadow & Bone Trilogy ended & encompasses all the characters in the Grishaverse.
Book One: King of Scars
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.
I have not read this book yet. It is on my TBR read. I will give an updated review once I've finished the book 😊
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
Book Two: TBD.
NONE GRISHAVERSE RELATED:
Ninth House
This book is not part of the Grishaverse. I am SO excited for this book to be released! It's set to release October 8, 2019. Preorder here
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
About the Author:
Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse. With over one million copies sold, her Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, and The Language of Thorns— with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including The Best of Tor.com and the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer, and the forthcoming Ninth House. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Southern California, graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and even makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Los Angeles, where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band.
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