Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Review:
I started this series with a bittersweet feeling in my heart. I’d read the Six of Crows duology first. You get to see some of the main characters from the Grisha series in Crooked Kingdom and I thought I already knew what Alina’s fate would be. I thought this would be a heartbreaking read and still I decided to read it because I loved Leigh Bardugo’s writing.
I found Alina an interesting character and the beginning of the story showed great promise. I liked her friendship with Mal. But I have to say The Darkling was more intriguing than the other characters.
Ah, the Darkling. Such a faceted enigma. Like Alina, I fell under his spell. And when truths were revealed, I couldn’t quite believe it. I had truly thought that Alina and The Darkling were meant to be. What he turned out to be, was deeper, darker. More intriguing.
The plot was nerve-racking, making my heart pound at the suspense, with secrets and realizations revealed at key moments. I did feel vindicated about Mal’s realization over Alina.
The world-building was once again, fantastic.
Synopsis: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Nomadic Worlds 