I wish I had got this book earlier. I read 'Shadow and Bone'
back in February and praised it as one of the best books I had ever read, so I
don't know why I didn't get my hands on the second book in the trilogy sooner
and definitely regret holding out for so long now. This book is not as good as
its predecessor, or maybe I have just been reading better books since, but it
is still stunning in the characters that are created and world that is formed.
The story of Alina has continued beautifully and I'm glad I can share in that
experience.
'Nothing good can last forever' is a phrase that comes to mind
with the start of this novel. Mal and Alina were just about ready to start a
secluded life together, but of course two more books can't be made of them
buying a cottage and beginning a new life together; something was bound to go
wrong. (I still find it amusing how even there every girl seemed to be throwing
themselves at Mal. If he really is that irresistible then I would like to meet
him in real life.) Anyway, I knew from the opening pages that it was only a
matter of time before the Darkling caught up to them and I'm sort of glad he
did. To me, the idea of Mal and Alina spending the rest of their lives together
is not wholly satisfying. Personally, I see their relationship as a first crush
relationship; it's a nice first experience, but it won't last for long. So, the
Darkling's arrival was a great way to get the ball rolling in terms of the end
of their relationship.
Also, the introduction of the Darkling in such a violent way
meant that we could understand the new powers he had gained and what sort of threat
he posed as compared to in the last novel. The introduction of new creatures
that are more powerful and can cause lasting harm is something that stays with
a reader and Alina's wound was a constant reminder throughout the novel of the
threat that the Darkling is as without it, I feel like I would have stopped
thinking of him as a danger. The visions that seemed to stem from that wound
are something that I would like to explore more in terms of what they actually
were and whether it means that the Darkling has any control over the people who
have been attacked by his creatures. I hope for Alina's sake that he doesn't.
As soon as Sturmhond was introduced, I suspected that he
might become a love interest, and really I was looking at every man in the
novel to consider him as Alina's eventual realisation. However, I have to admit
that I didn't expect him to be Prince Nikolai and that revelation really left
me on the edge of my seat! I instantly wanted to continue reading and find out
any sort of back-story and learn the implications of that discovery. From that
moment in the novel, the story changed its course and it was a journey I was
very happy to go on.
Power is definitely one of the major themes of this novel.
From when Alina got the second amplifier we started to see small, subtle
changes in her that grew over time. It was interesting and slightly scary to see
how she changed. With power comes responsibility and using the power you possess
in a way that does not only benefit yourself is important. Alina continued to
state that her intentions were only wanting the best for her country and the
people within it, but as each week past, we got to see that the craving inside
of her for more power was also driving it. I hope that when they obtain the
third amplifier it won't be a disaster for her as a person.
The end of this book came very suddenly and left me with a
lot of questions. I won't voice them all here, but I'm sure if you've read this
book you'll know exactly the type of questions I'm thinking of. I can only hope
that the next book will tie everything off in a way that is fitting and
deserving for the characters. I'll be holding out my own hopes as to what will
happen, but I can't dwell on something that may not come true.
Overall, this book was beautiful and heart rendering. I
would recommend the Grisha Trilogy to everyone who takes their time to read
this as, to me, it is one of the best YA series out there.
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