BOOK BLURB: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)

SIEGE AND STORM (The Grisha #2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Number of Pages: 435

Date Published: June 4, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

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My Thoughts:

Honestly, I don't know how to start organizing my thoughts and feelings regarding the second book of The Grisha trilogy. Although I sort of figured out its widespread appeal to people who loved it so much, I am still not at awe with the books. So, if this review seems kind of all over the place, I apologize in advance.

If you have read my review for Shadow and Bone (the first book of the trilogy), you would know that I am not as happy as I thought I would be during and after reading it. Maybe it's just not the book for me. I don't actually hate it, because I really did enjoy some parts. I just didn't like it as much as most of the readers did.

BOOK BLURB: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)

SHADOW AND BONE (The Grisha #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Number of Pages: 358

Date Published: June 5, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

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.

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My Thoughts:

The Grisha trilogy is one of those books that has developed a large fan base since its release. It's a high fantasy young adult series set in an alternate Russian universe, centered around Alina Starkov, an orphan girl who did not know she was a Grisha (or a human with some sort superpowers) until a near death experience almost took her and her best friend's life. Sounds interesting? Yes, it does. And the fact that a lot of readers loved it made me want to read the books even more.

BOOK BLURB: Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1)

HEX HALL (Hex Hall #1)

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Number of Pages: 323

Date Published: March 2, 2010

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

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My Thoughts: