Book Review // Ruin & Rising

Ruin & Rising
Shadow & Bone #3
Leigh Bardugo

Square Fish | June 2017 (first published in 2014)
Fantasy Fiction, Young Adult

{GoodReads}
The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

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WARNING: Possible Spoilers!

{The Basics}

PLEASE NOTE:

This is the final installment in the Shadow & Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. If you have yet to read the previous two books & plan to do so, DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW! There will be spoilers from the first two stories & I don't want to spoil anything for you!

That said, I truly believe this to be a good conclusion to the whole trilogy, and one I thoroughly enjoyed up to a point (more on that later). There were some amazing plot twists that I was TOTALLY NOT expecting, but made the story what it is. The characters were consistent through each book. And every one of them was relatable in their own way, and not one of them came away from the war untouched. This made for GREAT character arcs, lemme tell ya. The ending felt very Hunger Games to me, if you know what I mean. But I thought it so fitting after all that took place.

The story, culture, plot, & world building were incredibly complex, but not too difficult to understand, and I LOVED the writing style. Set in first person---not usually the narrative I like---it was beautifully written to convey the emotions & senses. The descriptions were so described as to be easy to visualize, but not in that too descriptive, unnecessary kind of way. It made for AWESOME world building, and was probably my top favorite quality of this trilogy. :]

{Violence}

Be warned: there are loads of violence & gore in this novel. If you've read the first two books, you'll know what to expect. This book maaaay have more blood & gore than the other two, though. I didn't write down every single scene, but you get the gist, I think.

A man is sliced in half by a Grisha using their powers to perform the Cut. A man's bloody gash is tended to by a servant. Another man's body is literally ripped apart by shadow monsters... A woman throws herself over the edge of a mountain cliff to the dismay of those watching. A boy loses his arm to the shadow creatures.

At one point, we see the grisly scene of multiple bodies hanging dead in a tree---the surrounding village burned to the ground.

One Inferni man (fire powers), seems to have an unhealthy aptitude for fire & blowing things up.

A man is "poisoned" by literal darkness from the inside out, and it transforms him into some kind of winged & clawed creature, hungering for blood...

{Spiritual Content}

Alina, as the Sun Summoner, is still regarded as a Saint, and has oodles & oodles of faithful followers blindly following the Apparat & his rituals, praying fervently to & for her. In the culture of Ravka, based on that of Russia, the people often turn in prayer & supplication to the variety of martyred Saints.

To her credit, Alina is appalled at the thought & actions of those praying to her, knowing full well she's just an ordinary girl, albeit gifted with unique abilities. Still, she plays along with the prayers & rituals whenever necessary.

{Language // Alcohol & Drugs}

Several uses of "a--," "hell," "bastard," and "d---." At least one use each of "d---ably" and "ungrateful whore"...

Characters drink a sweet fermented milk at some point. The common alcoholic beverage, kvas, is partaken of every now & then. And there's mention of a drug/substance used that was given to soldiers during long deployments---it acted like a steroid, if I understood correctly.

{Romantic Content}

This section is where I was MOST disappointed in. Surprised? Not really, but hugely disappointed all the same. While there were often sensuality thrown into the two previous novels, this final addition to the trilogy had quite a bit more implication & action to it. There were at least two very steamy scenes: A man pulls a girl close to him, wedging her between his knees as he's sitting---his hands at her back---obviously exuding a sexual longing for her. [relationship SPOILER!] At another point, it's implied that Mal & Alina spend at least one night "together" (if you catch my drift), hands exploring different---er, locations on body, skin against skin, etc. etc. There's no graphic details other than that, but it's certainly something that takes place.

Some sensual innuendo thrown in there a couple places, but all in good humor.

However, HERE'S THE KICKER:

Somewhere near the beginning, we witness one woman character seemingly oddly attached to another woman... Later on, it's confirmed that there's an open homosexual relationship between two women. In one scene, girls giggle & gossip in Alina's room, trying to keep the positivity & cheer going despite certain circumstances, and ooh-ing & ahh-ing over dresses. One girl grabs a scarf & throws it around the neck of another, pulling her in for a kiss. Another girl scoffs saying, "Oh, for saints' sake, is everyone pairing up now?" <---it's in this scene that my fears were confirmed. I almost did not finish the story, to be honest. But, despite this bit of unfortunate-ness (is that a word?), I'm glad I did. Because it was still a good story, and a good ending to the trilogy. While the homosexuality is not portrayed as an in-your-face, look-at-us kind of way, it is still blatantly obvious throughout the book in little scenes every now & then.

I suppose I was more disappointed in the face there was NOTHING like this is the first two novels and then BAM!, here ya go in the final book. Also, it could be because I practically sang praises about this series in my reviews of book #1 & #2---highly recommending them to you all---and not knowing this little "gem" (that's sarcastic, btw) was hidden away. SIGH

SIDE NOTE:

Please don't get me wrong. I am not bashing or hating on those who live the homosexual lifestyle. Jesus loves them---AND me!---despite all our flaws, mistakes, & sin. I only wish they could see the veritable chains that such a lifestyle has & choose to be free over that bondage. Homosexuality is a CHOICE. Just like every sin. The excuse that people claim to be "born that way" is merely that: an excuse to live the way they choose to live.

{Conclusion}

*deep breath* All that said, I truly did enjoy this conclusion to the trilogy set in the Grishaverse. The entire story world is so intriguing, & I fell in love with the characters from the start. Alina really was just a normal girl, more of an outcast actually, but gifted with amazing abilities. As we've seen from book 1, she was usually the invisible girl, the one in the background until all that changed & the powers she didn't realize she had brought hope to a ravaged country. She became a leader & a light in the literal darkness their world was sinking into.

She wanted what everyone does: freedom. And she & her friends give everything & more to achieve it for themselves & their country. It was beautiful to see her friends rally around her (even those who were more tolerable than anything), offering their support & encouragement. They needed her strength & comfort just as much as she needed theirs.

If you've read the first two books in this series, I would still recommend reading this conclusion despite the content. It'll be worth it! I only wish you to be aware. And if you do happen to read it, let me know! I'd love to discuss it with you. :]

THREE out of FIVE STARS, due only to specific content.

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