Truthfully, I went into Siege and Storm expecting not to like it. Shadow and Bone wasn’t my cup of tea, so I really didn’t see myself loving SaS. My main qualms are the slowness of the plot and lack of events. I love Leigh Bardugo so much, so this pains me to say.

As for the plot, I feel like the entire book was filler for setting up Ruin and Rising. I can’t really name a pivotal moment besides the end and meeting Nikolai. I was bored in all the scenes without Nikolai because I felt like there was really no plot. It felt like the book worked through a multitude of unneeded events to reach the ending, which I did like.

Nikolai being introduced was a good thing. I love that man. He deserves the world. I am dying to learn more about him. His characterization is just god tier. It really shows how far Leigh is going with her writing.

I still don’t get why y’all hate Mal. He’s such a unique character with struggles and emotions that are completely valid. I feel like people hate him because he gets in the way of ships, but like, why? There’s more to his personality than loving Alina. He is pragmatic, strong, but emotionally-driven when it comes to people. I really do love his character.

Overall, I’m hoping to get more from Ruin and Rising plot-wise. Siege and Storm was a tad disappointing.