Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy; Thorndike Press Youth Large Print, 3)

5/5⭐

Der Epilog ist so unglaublich schön und schließt die Trilogie einfach perfekt ab🥹❤️

I don't know what to think of this series. It was intriguing enough to keep reading and enjoying it, on the other hand I hated the love interest and some of the characters most of the time. It just feels unfinished, not deep enough in plot development shallow. However, at least it gets better with every bool. Still don't like Mal's and Alina's relationship though...

Der letzte Teil hat mir definitiv wieder viel besser als der zweite gefallen. Die Handlung und Charaktere entwickeln sich super weiter.Ich finde es richtig gut, dass viel Wert darauf gelegt wird, dass man auch die Nebencharaktere lieben lernt. Sie sind extrem vielschichtig, haben ihre eigenen Geschichten und machen teils große Entwicklungen durch.

So eine gute Trilogie! Hab’s geliebt!! Das zweite Buch war mein Favorit aber fand das Ende hier auch toll und die found Family und wie die Charaktere ausgearbeitet waren!! Toll

Interesting conclusion of the Grisha trilogy, although the final battle ended a bit too abruptly.

Unglaublich gut geschrieben, die Storyline war fesselend, die Charaktere vielseitig. Besonders Alina und Nikolai sind unglaublich gut geschrieben! Das Ende war ein Twist und ich bin soo froh, dass sie immer noch alle Freunde sind <3

Der letzte Grishateil war leider eine Enttäuschung. Erneut hatte ich das Gefühl, dass im Buch nicht wirklich was passiert. Neben vielen Reisen, gab es in meinen Augen zu viel

nikolai deserves everything

"Ruin and Rising" schließt die Grisha-Trilogie ab und darf sich aus meiner Sicht auch als würdiges Finale bezeichnen. Mir hat dieser Band am besten gefallen, auch wenn es sich weiterhin eher auf einer mediocre Spannungskurve gehalten hat. Das Ende hatte es aber in sich, es konnte mich dahingegend doch fesseln. Das Grishaverse konnte mich immer in deinen Bann ziehen, was ich bei diesem Buch nochmal ganz deutlich gemerkt habe, da ich doch noch ständig an die Welt denken musste. Trotzdem gibt es hier auch wieder Kritikpunkte. Es gab so einige Längen, was wohl einfach zum trockenen Schreibstil der Autorin gehört. Bis zu dem erwähnten fesselnden Ende blieb die Spannung doch eher aus. Doch hat es die Geschichte geschafft, dass ich zum Schluss noch eine Träne verdrücken musste. Ich bin hier mal großzügig und vergebe vier Sterne.

WOW, am Ende ging alles richtig schnell und der plot twist ist heftig !!

Krönender Abschluss einer magischen Fantasy-Trilogie

Mit „Ruin and Rising“ endet die Grisha-Trilogie und es ist ein wirklich würdiger Abschluss. Alina und ihre Freunde machen sich bereit für einen finalen Schlag gegen den Dunklen. Die Jagd nach dem letzten Kräftemehrer führt sie weit weg von allem, was sie bisher kennt. Der thematische Fokus des letzten Buches richtet sich sehr stark an der Frage aus, wie weit ein Mensch bereit ist zu gehen, um für das größere Wohl der Welt zu sorgen. Alina ist die ganze Zeit mit dieser Frage konfrontiert. Ich konnte ihre innerliche Zerissenheit zwischen ihren eigenen Idealen, der Anziehung der (dunklen) Kräfte und dem Wunsch, das Böse zu besiegen so sehr mitfühlen. Gleichzeitig haben die Beziehungen zu ihrer Gruppe und auch zu Mal eine viel bedeutendere Rolle bekommen, was mir wirklich sehr gut gefallen hat. Dabei wurden die Beziehungen sehr authentisch mit dem Voranschreiten der Geschichte aufgebaut. Alina wird in diesem Band nochmal viel stärker von der Einzelkämpferin zur starken Anführerin, die sehr auf die Unterstützung ihrer Freunde baut. Sehr gut gefallen hat mir zudem der zunehmende Spannungsbogen der Geschichte. Die Plottwists kamen für mich so unerwartet, ich habe es wirklich kein einziges Mal kommen sehen. Auffällig ist allerdings, dass im Vergleich zu den Vorgängern die Kämpfe wesentlich blutiger verlaufen. Für mich persönlich war dies aber sehr passend für einen finalen Endkampf. Was diese Fantasygeschichte für mich zudem noch besonders hervorhebt, ist die teilweise menschliche Seite, die dem Dunklen zugesprochen wird. Dies macht auch die Verbindung zwischen Alina und ihm für mich greifbarer und zeigt die unklaren Grenzen zwischen Gut und Böse auf. Insgesamt finde ich den Abschluss der Reihe wirklich sehr sehr gut gelungen. Er hat für mich alle Kleinigkeiten, die mir in den ersten Bänden noch gefehlt haben, verbessert. Die ganze Geschichte ist mit der Charakterentwicklung, Einbindung persönlicher Themen, politischer Aspekte und einer handvoll (wissenschaftlicher) Magie so gelungen, dass ich diese Reihe wirklich allen Fantasyliebhabern uneingeschränkt empfehlen kann.

Ich hab die Reihe gerne gelesen, obwohl sie echt nicht perfekt war. Aber ich mochte das Ende. :)

4.9 / 5 Well I feel kind of mean but its a 4.9 star only because of the ending. I dont know, I feel like it couldve been more… or better just not like it was. But what can I say. This one is DEFINITELY the best one in the series. Like there was action throughout the whole book, twist after twist. The writing was amazing. The characters and their development, just chef‘s kiss.

Gute Grundidee, aber noch Luft nach oben

Auch der dritte Teil hatte seine Höhen und Tiefen, wobei nach wie vor die Welt von Ravka und die Grundidee zu seinen Stärken zählt. Leider steht das World-Building weiter hinten an, wobei hier ein deutlich größerer Fokus liegen sollte. Vorsicht Spoiler! Zudem fehlt hier definitiv die Abwechslung. Auch im dritten Teil geht es darum, einen der drei Verstärker zu finden, was eindeutig nach dem Muster A abgearbeitet wird. Auch der Antagonist bleibt der gleiche, wobei man ruhig eine andere Storyline hätte wählen können (ihn z.B. im zweiten Teil sterben lassen und den dritten Teil auf den Kampf von Alina gegen ihre Machtgier fokussieren). Außerdem war das Ende des Buches meiner Meinung nach schwach. Ein klassisches Happy End, und plötzliches "Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen" - das war zu viel Zucker für meinen Geschmack. Auch der kleine Plottwist, dass plötzlich alle Nicht-Grisha Alinas Kraft innehaben... ich weiß nicht, hat einfach nicht meinen Geschmack getroffen. Alles in Allem hat mir in der Trilogie die Abwechslung gefehlt, der Plot war im Grunde in jedem Teil das Gleiche - den Verstärker finden und hoffen, den Darkling dieses Mal tatsächlich zu besiegen.

A very heartwarming Trilogy

The first three books of the Grisha Verse gave a nice beginning and good world building for many new books to explore. I am very much excited about the rest of the Grisha Verse and can’t wait to get my Hands on them. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a nice and heartwarming read. But still sprinkled with the harsh realities of what greed can do to a person.

4,5⭐️

Endlich beendet

Mit dieser Reihe verbinde ich eine gewisse Hass-Liebe. Hass-Liebe deswegen, weil ich die Welt liebe. Schließlich ist es dieselbe Welt, in der auch Six of Crows und Crooked Kingdom spielen. Ich liebe die Idee der Grisha und ihrer Kräfte, die Elemente, die eine - ich würde jetzt sagen - russische Anlehnung vermuten lassen. Es macht so viel Spaß diese Welt zu erkunden, weil sie einfach so kreativ und detailreich und wirklich wunderbar ist. Ich liebe einige der Figuren dieser speziellen Geschichte. Vor allem Nikolai und es ist so traurig zu sagen, dass es vor allem Nikolai und einige Nebenfiguren maßgeblich dran beteiligt sind, dass ich diese Reihe überhaupt beenden wollte. Es gab so viele Momente, wo ich dieses Buch abbrechen wollte. Denn was ich absolut nicht an diesem Buch mag sind Alina und Mal. Die Protagonisten waren für mich nichts anderes als nervig. Mir war es fast egal, was mit ihnen passierte. Auch der Darkling - in der Serie großartig verkörpert von Ben Barnes - war für mich in vielen Momenten kein interessanter Antagonist. Die Handlung war okay. Sie hat mich jetzt nicht völlig umgehauen und überrascht (viele Elemente haben es ja auch in die Serie geschafft), aber es war jetzt auch nicht so, dass ich komplett gelangweilt war. Alles in allem bin ich froh, die Reihe beendet zu haben, denn jetzt steht einem Reread von Six of Crows und Crooked Kingdom nichts im Weg und ich kann endlich die nachfolgende Reihe lesen.

I did not understand why I just gave up reading this book after barely 3 chapters. I'm glad I picked it up and tried again! It was a great build up to the grand finale and the characters added to the story in an enriching way. Nikolai is just the best! I read the book in three sittings because I was so captivated and wanted to know the ending. Kinda SPOILER warning?! Both positive and negative: characters are barely given time to breathe (which kinda makes sense, as they are on the clock) Negative: final fight felt a little too easy, and even though the stakes were so high I barely felt it (the aftermath was not gripping enough imo) But the ending is very sweet and a nice conclusion for the main characters of this trilogy

Wow des war definitiv der beste Teil der Trilogie. Ich liebe die Entwicklung der Charaktere. Und das Ende, obwohl es nicht wie erwartet war, war perfekt.

Die Geschichte war sehr schön, besonders das Ende war total rührend 🥰😍

Großes Finale! Mag das dritte Band insgesamt sehr.

Einiges passiert im dritten Teil, dennoch habe ich mir das Ende ein wenig anders erhofft, daher 4 ⭐️ Insgesamt ein toller dritter Teil 👍🏼

Nach dem sehr gelungenen zweiten Band leider etwas enttäuschend. Aber ein Ende, mit dem ich echt zufrieden sein kann.

Worthy ending of a great series

I kept putting off finishing this series, partially because I read a spoiler in the Crows duology (or so I thought) and partially because I didn’t want it to end. There is again set backs, fights, and fear. But most importantly the story emphasises friendship and what even a ragtag team can accomplish if the put their differences aside and focus on their shared ideals and goals. Bardugo also doesn’t shy away from including the ugly sides of war concerning the people fighting in it, both physical and mentally.

While I enjoyed the feeling of Ruin and Rising and the setting in in Russian inspired Ravka (also I loved getting to know more about the Darkling's past), the pace was a little too slow to me - it took quite a while before things startet to pick up and then suddenly everything happened in the last couple of pages, which felt a bit rushed. So while it was still an entertaining read, out of the Grisha trilogy this is my least favourite book. Also I cried in the end. A lot.

I don't think the Apparat is bad but I do think he is creepy and commanding and nerve-wracking. He is constantly around Alina or has his Priestguards doing that. He doesn't let her be with any of her friends, save David and Genya; he forces her into isolation, either in her room or in the archives; and he seems incapable of understanding that her fragile state will not improve much more if she can't go to the surface and use her power. He has always been a kind if annoying character but in just the first chapter he tests the readers' limits. Good news is Nikolai is alive and well! Fighting the Darkling in his contraption by destroying his supply lines and forcing him through the Fold. People have come to call him Prince of the Air (even though some think it's a Lantsov and others a Fjerdan). When Alina is with Genya the Apparat shows up with his Priestguards saying she's not safe and that a plot to kidnap her was uncovered and the Grisha and Mal are behind it. Since Alina has no prior knowledge of that plan she doubts who is truly speaking the truth, but ends up trusting Mal. With Tolya and Tamar's help, they orchestrated a brilliant plan to "get caught". And so they fight and explode the master flue letting Alina reach the light and summon. That is enough to thwart the Apparat's plans to isolate her even more because his Priestguards see that as a blessing (and Alina even brands one of them, a guarantee of his loyalty). But she has her power back (not just Grisha but also metaphorical). Alina is very clear with the Apparat, even threatens him. All to guarantee the safety of everyone in the White Cathedral and that want to take refuge from the Darkling. Then she is told the plan and I start to like Zoya! Like, really! And it's perceptibçe that there is something between Nadia and Tamar. And, against Mal's wishes, almost all the Grisha (a group of 12) are going above the surface. In search of Nikolai! And again Mal shows some kind of power with his tracking skills. It's not possible for a mere human to track a beetle inside a back to make aim better! So he's amazing in that front, and he promised to track Nikolai if he's alive (which he is). I think Alina finally understood that there's a rift between her and Mal that can hardly be repaired. She knows she needs alliances know not love (even though she'd find it with Nikolai too) and I truly think she grew in the last few months underground. She is even strong enough to try and use the same trick the Darkling used in the previous book, and that made her think she was crazy, to taunt him! That badass, girl! And I can't help but feel sorry for the Darkling... He truly cares for Alina, maybe even loves her in his own version of love... And I still love him too... Like Alina, part of me wants to forgive him, but I know better. Still, after everything with him, I still love him (it's amazing what Leigh Bardugo did with him for people to love her villain even after all the wrong things he does!)... Alina and her group leave the White Cathedral and go through the tunnels with Mal's help. We get some insight into the characters: Adrik, Nadia's brother, has a crush on Zoya, who is kind of annoyed with it (but not mean); Genya seems to be doing better, getting back to herself after the Darkling's horrible attack; David and Tolya seem to be developing a friendship (and since they both like "boring stuff" Zoya mocks them by commenting that maybe they'll put each other to sleep); Mal is still keeping his distance and respect for Alina (and I'm not even mad, I'm kind of proud of him for doing that); Nadia and Tamar seem to be getting closer; and Harshaw seems to be utterly insane and through Alina's description it seems a tad creepy. During their trip underground there's a random attack on the surface that shakes the ground and releases flammable gases. Tolya and Tamar are saved by Adrik, who was with them at the time, because he holds the ceiling with his power. Sergei and Stigg are found thanks to Zoya and safe thanks to Sergei's quick thinking in slowing their heartbeats. When they finally emerge from the tunnels and Alina sees the night sky she hasn't seen in months she starts to glow from within. The vision is quite beautiful. Tamar sets out to find Nikolai but comes back empty. As Alina goes to tell Mal about it they have kind of a moment, because of the tattoo on his back that is like a sun, but they are also caught by a militia. The two of them and the Grisha are all bound, but Nikolai, who was after the man who caught them because of his supply lines, helps them escape. And it's so good to have him back and bantering back and forth with Alina! Since the people of the militia knew who Alina was they had to kill them all and having to use the Cut on a person, instead of the nichevo'ya makes Alina sick. But soon she is talking to Nikolai, a long, sweet, funny and real and honest conversation with him. Nikolai has been a very busy boy! For the past few years, he has been working to gather supplies and to get the inside of a mountain, that had been a religious place and an observatory, functioning to his liking. This young man is amazing, extraordinary! Nikolai takes Alina to Baghra all the while complaining good-naturedly about her and Baghra complains about him too! They like each other, it's nice! And this time the conversation between Baghra and Alina is better and less hate filled. They are mostly back to how they were at the end of Shadow and Bone and it's really nice, they have both made progress in the few months that passed. Baghra even agrees to teach the students Alina sent to Keramzin, as she plans to bring them to the mountain. When the King finds out Genya is on the mountain he loses it. After a little bit of coaxing and support, Alina and Mal convince her to see him. The King is a horrible person to her, saying that because Genya is a servant he didn't need to ask for permission. Genya says what she needs to and is strong not backing down even in the face of the King. And Nikolai is honestly the best, and he will be the greatest King. He forces his father to write an abdication letter and leave Ravka, because if he doesn't he'll try his father for rape (and Alina says she'll testify for Genya). The king is absurdly ridiculous is this scene and I bet every reader wants to at least slap him hard across the face. Genya is hurt in all this and doesn't want her friends' comfort, she even lashes out at David. And David, sweet and innocent David, gives her a speech that would melt the coldest of hearts and kisses her! It's so sweet your teeth will rot! Mal and Alina have a proper talk, and it's soft and it hurts and Mal recognizes he's been a selfish *** all this time (and I don't disagree). He will not pursue Alina in any way romantically because he knows she needs an army and a crown, things he can't possibly give her. He even goes as far as saying that Nikolai will be a greater King with her by his side. (A part of me yields a little to him because he is finally showing growth!) After talking with Nikolai and making him promise that if Alina turns into the Darkling he'll put a bullet between her eyes, Baghra agrees to continue her lessons. And makes her Cut a mountain top! What she asks is preposterous and what she says about the Cut isn't much better. But the truth is Alina makes it! She cuts a freaking mountain! Alina and Nikolai banter a little and it's as nice as always and then he gives her the Lantsov ring and the conversation shifts a little. His mother has told him the truth about his father, who is apparently a Fjerdan ambassador, and he's melancholy and the hurt or sting of the truth comes across the page and kind of eats the heart. He doesn't force Alina to take the ring but she knows she can't not wear it, she now has a role to the world and everyone is imagining her as Queen (ones as an orphan Queen, others as a Grisha Queen that may change people's perspective). The book has this one amazing moment of girl time! They are teasing Alina about Nikolai, are teasing each other, are simply being friends and so heart-warming and satisfying! I love their comradery, their budding friendship! Zoya is a way better person now that we actually got to know her! Nadia is coming out of her shell and yeah, she is with Tamar!!! I love it! But after all the fun and conflicting thoughts, Alina drifts into the bond with the Darkling. At first, I half want Alina to give in, just like I think a part of her wants to too, because the Darkling is being soft and sweet, he even tells her his true name (Aleksander ). But he hurt so many people! And then he turns on Alina, is harsh and threatening. David unintentionally gave him the means to cross the Fold and wreak havoc on West Ravka. Alina is forced to tell Nikolai how she got the information and, unlike Mal, he doesn't turn her down nor anything of the sorts. He just starts to think of possible ways to use that connection. Scared and in desperate need of help and answers, Alina goes to Baghra. And she hears the saddest and most awful story: Baghra is Morozova's daughter but he never cared for her and, after her powers appeared, her mother shunned her; she delivered the Cut on her young sister unwittingly, because she was young and didn't know that was a thing she could do; her father healed her and the townspeople threw the two of them in the river to die. She thinks her father didn't die and went on to finish his work, maybe killing himself later in life, maybe not; and Alina thinks that Baghra's sister may have survived, she was Morozova's child after all and may have had some power, even if it hadn't manifested yet, and may have gone with him in search of the firebird. She thinks there's a possibility she is her descendant. Nikolai comes to get her so she can see a meteor shower and they cross an extremely happy and excited Mal. And it kills me a little to see Alina so deeply sad when she realizes his happiness was for her, because he'd just seen something beautiful and his first thought was her... But Nikolai had already caught up to her... And they have this vulnerable and real and honest conversation about their future... And it's kind of heartbreaking and sweet at the same time... Sergei is horrible! I've pitied him since he lost Marie and I understood his pain. But he betrayed every person on that mountain to the Darkling, and he came swooping with his monsters, took Nikolai and slipped something into him, some darkness, that turned him into a monster, hungry and he almost bites Alina. He fights himself and flies away on the new wings the Darkling have him. Baghra comes out and confronts the Darkling. His monsters don't hurt her and actually seem curious about her. So much so that she uses her power one last time to gather them to her and plunge to her death from the top of the mountain... The Darkling flies with the nichevo'ya after her. Inside the Spinning Wheel it's chaotic, but Mal, Misha, Alina and Tolya reach the hangars, only to see Adrik close to death after a nichevo'ya almost took his arm off and her Grisha desperately trying to fight. When the Bittern can't take off because of the weight, the few soldiers of the Twenty-Second, Nikolai's old regiment, leave it and fight against the oprichniki and Grisha. And honestly, all this sacrifice and death and belief is starting to get to me... This moment right here settled on me like a heavyweight... The small group of Grisha flies for two days or more to somewhere near Dva Stolba. Zoya and Nadia are excellent, flying them without break. When they reach the mine, and after some sleep, Alina goes to get some kindling and on her way back finds Nikolai. The beautiful prince made monster loves his friends, Alina, and there are pain and confusion and some part of himself in what the Darkling made. And when he tugs at the connection between them she ignores him, of course, but still feels his grief (and I do too, I grieve for Baghra and Nikolai). Part of their group start towards the firebird. It's a long and tedious journey that leaves Alina on edge to the point of fighting with Mal and saying some cruel things... But Zoya manages to shift her bad mood, and no matter the way she was before and how hateful she was now it's good to be around her. They finally reach the place they were heading to but there is nothing there. They keep going until Alina is attacked by the firebird (an enormous bird) and almost falls to her death. That is until Mal catches her around the wrist. Her bare wrist. Knowing things now, it all makes sense. There were clues all over: Alina only being able to summon, the first time, with Mal in her arms; only finding the stag after they finally admitted their feelings for each other; finding the ice dragon when they were in each other's arms. Mal is the amplifier! That's why they were constantly drawn to each other! How he found her after she escaped and he deserted the army! He is a great tracker because he is connected to the makings at the heart of the world! He is Morozova's descendant. Because Baghra's sister was dead and Morozova brought her back to life, the same way he did with the amplifiers! And she passed her power to her descendants. But using the third amplifier, Mal, means that he will die so she can save Ravka... And I still don't love Mal, but I'm mourning him, for Alina... Because there is nothing more painful to her than lose the one person she's had by her side her entire life... Alina and her group return to Dva Stolba only to find out that the Darkling attacked West Ravka and marched on Keramzin and so she decides to confront him. The Darkling burned Keramzin down, kill the teaches and Ana Kuya and kidnapped the students. Alina is devastated but a new plan emerges, one that includes her bending light around people, which is much harder than doing that to the underside of the Bittern. The Apparat is a useless fool and doesn't come to Alina's aid, although some of the Soldat Sol escape and come to help her. They decide to launch their attack from West Ravka, which means that they have to split up because the Squallers can't fly the ship with too many people. When Alina is back on Ravka, Nikolai finds her. It's so painful to see him like that, unable to do anything to fix his situation, even with Alina's help, because the darkness creeps back in... My heart aches for Nikolai... The group has a soft evening and Mal and Alina have a beautiful moment the night before the attack. (I'm not made of stone!) When they enter the Fold it's all eery and quiet as they wait for the Darkling. And it starts out great, with the Squallers blanketing sounds and then Alina bending the light! But then they are searching for the kids and they are not there (the Darkling himself confirms this; he is not that big of a monster, they are children and Grisha nonetheless! He wouldn't harm them). Alina is shot and so her focus slips and she has a hard time protecting her people as they see two more skiffs with oprichniki approach. But she is such a clever girl that she tricks the Darkling and escapes. Only for Mal to find her and tell her that it's time. With a scream she kills Mal and light spills from her. Alina ceases to have power, the amplifiers fall away and light starts to pour from non-magical people (otkazat'sya). That was the power of the amplifiers. The Darkling is confused and in pain and desperate. He is alone. But he barely even blinks when Alina kills him. How come the Darkling's death is way sadder than Mal's? And, in the midst of all the happiness at the Fold being unmade and power rushing from people and Nikolai being well, Mal starts to breathe. And, to be honest, I think that undoes his sacrifice. He should have stayed dead, for the sake of it having meaning and reason. Even though what Alina says makes sense - he had two lives: his and the one Morozova gave his daughter, so Tolya and Tamar saving him makes some semblance of sense. Mal and Alina are quite fitting for each other, they love each other and will do whatever they can for each other. That doesn't mean I love them together, this is more of a begrudging acceptance of things. Mal wasn't exactly my favourite person throughout this trilogy and he didn't rise suddenly in my consideration either. But I do like the growth he went through in this book. Now he may deserve Alina. Nikolai breaks my heart... The happy, confident guy was broken apart by the Darkling's power and is now scattered. He is trying to find his way back, but it'll be some time... The scars, literal and metaphorical, may never fully heal... The ending of this book is perfect. Full of hope for the future and warmth. Alina and Mal get married, move into Keramzin and build the orphanage anew. Their friends, Genya, David and Zoya, are the new Grisha inspectors and stop by, staying late; Nikolai stops by too. Their friendship never dies and it's so sweet there were tears in my eyes! It's beautiful. Perfect! This was an amazing trilogy, filled to the brim with action, amazing characters, a plot that runs at high speed and beautiful writing and world building. The characters go through a lot and grow and become great friends. I have no words for it other than this is an astonishing series. A definite must and certainly something that I will re-read soon enough!

Es ist vorbei, und ich muss ehrlich sagen, dass ich froh darüber bin

Just as I anticipated the series never really recovered after I started losing interest after about 100 pages of the first book. There is so much potential in this - the world, the characters, the themes - but it all gets wasted somehow. In case of the Darkling, it's almost infuriating how little he is developed throughout the series. There was something special buried within this, but it all gets thrown away for a story we have all read hundred times before.

3.5 &#x1f31f;

I know a lot of people didn't like the ending, i actually really liked it

Spannend kann es doch noch werden

Nachdem Teil 2 für mich etwas interessanter wurde, war Teil 3 für mich dann wieder etwas schwächer. Was wahrscheinlich aber auch daran liegen kann das es weniger Nikolai Zeit gab. Die Story war auf ihre Art und Weise interessant aber wie schon bei Teil 1 konnte mich das ganze nicht wirklich überzeugen. Gerade mit Mal und Alina kann ich aber auch gar nichts anfangen. Einzeln finde ich sie schon nicht gut und zusammen noch schlimmer. Dennoch freue ich mich sehr demnächst endlich mit Six of Crows zu starten und hoffe einfach das diese Geschichte und die Charaktere mich mehr begeistern.

Best one out of three. Really enjoyed this last book of the Grisha Verse. I always get nervous when it comes to the last book in a trilogy. They tend to be disappointing but this one was actually satisfying without having had any expectations!

Ich hab die Reihe gerne gelesen, obwohl sie echt nicht perfekt war. Aber ich mochte das Ende. :)

This was definitely not the ending I was expecting. I did like the trilogy. I like it when a story doesn't go the way I think it's about to go.

*3,5 Sterne Mir hat der dritte Teil tatsächlich am besten gefallen. Das Ende war für mich auch zufriedenstellend, aber irgendwas hält mich davon ab, dem Buch 4 Sterne zu geben. Dafür gab es dennoch zu viele Szenen, die für mich nicht wirklich relevant erschienen oder auch irgendwie spannend waren. Natürlich ist hier vieles Vorbereitung für das eigentliche Ende, aber dennoch hätte ich mir ein wenig mehr Spannung gewünscht. Die Plottwists und Reveals haben mir recht gut gefallen, weswegen ich auch nicht sagen kann, dass ich nicht vom Buch überrascht wurde. An sich kann ich die Reihe empfehlen zu lesen, aber seid euch bewusst, dass Leigh Bardugos späteren Bücher sehrviel besser sind, als ihre Grisha-Trilogie. Jetzt freue ich mich darauf im Februar King of Scars zu lesen ^^

3/5 +++ENGLISH+++ I definitely had too high expectations for the Grishaverse, after being so in love with Six of Crows. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret reading this series. It definitely helped me to understand the world of Ravka, and I loved making the connections between this and SoC (like recognizing Genya & Zoya, or hearing the full story of Sankta Alina). My problems with the story already began in #2, it felt boring, without any actions happening. Just a lot of waiting around, people having the same discussions over and over and over again. And as the series progressed, the characters seemed to get more... flat. Alina lost her unique touch and her strength (at least for me). The only person that seemed to have substance was The Darkling. What the hell happened with Nikolai?? And why? Really unnecessary. Mal was too mushy, and perfectly mediocre. And let me sum up the plot: Characters walking around, trying to get somewhere, fighting with each other, Alina having visions, and somewhere there was the big showdown. Which was, well, a safe choice. Predictable. Boring. I wished for something "big", not THIS. I am quite sad that this series went so downhill. Because #1 was good. And Leigh Bardugo's style is still, always is, amazing. But the plot didn't do it for me... +++GERMAN+++ Da ich das Lied der Krähen abgöttisch geliebt habe, hatte ich auch für die Grisha-Reihe sehr hohe Erwartungen. Wahrscheinlich zu hoch. Zwar bin ich froh, die Reihe gelesen zu haben - ich kann jetzt die Welt definitiv besser verstehen. Und als Vorbereitung für die Netflix Serie wahrscheinlich auch gut. Aber das macht meine Probleme mit dem Buch nicht wett. Ich hatte schon im zweiten Band etwas Probleme mit der Handlung. Es wurde langweilig und nichts ist passiert. Um die Handlung zusammenzufassen: warten, diskutieren, weiter warten, selbe Diskussion wieder führen, irgendwo hin gelangen, weiter warten, achja der Showdown. Die Personen, und allen voran Alina, haben für mich ihren Flair und Touch verloren. Nur der Darkling war tiefgründig, aber nicht wirklich sympathisch. Mal war mir zu perfekt und langweilig. Und was zur Hölle war mit Nikolai los? Das fand ich auch unnötig. Das Ende fand ich relativ langweilig. Es war eine "safe choice", klar. Aber ich hätte mir wirklich mehr erhofft. Schade eigentlich. Band 1 war für mich der beste der Reihe, aber irgendwie sind die Bücher für mich mit der Zeit schlechter geworden.

somewhere close to 4,5 stars This was by far my favorite book of the series. I had really big problems with the characters in the first two books, but now I finally liked their development :) I still liked the SoC duology more, but I can see Leigh Bardugos development while writing her first series. I can't wait to continue my journey in the Grishaverse with [b:King of Scars|36307634|King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525110825l/36307634._SY75_.jpg|57978319]! He is one of my all time favorite Grishaverse characters and i am so excited for his journey :)

Ein großartiges Ende der Trilogie. Habe ich mit diesem Ende gerechnet? Nein. Es gab in diesem Band einen großen Plottwist, den ich so nicht hätte kommen sehen. Ach wie ich so etwas liebe! Eine kleine Sache hat mich dann allerdings doch davon abgehalten, 5 Sterne zu vergeben. Leider kann ich hier nicht verraten, welcher Teil der Handlung mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, da ich sonst spoilern müsste.

Hilfe. Es war so gut. Und so schmerzhaft. Und das Ende. Ich hasse und liebe es. Ich will noch nicht gehen. Ich will noch nicht Alina und Mal verlassen. Ich weiß, dass war nicht mein letzter Besuch in Ravka. Und ich weiß, wir werden noch oft nach Ravka reisen können. Aber ich werde Alina und Mal hinterhertrauern. Und all den anderen tollen Charakteren. I'm not crying, you are. Okay, maybe I'm crying. Muss jetzt meinen Bookhangover in den Griff bekommen (und eventuell die nächsten vier Bücher des Grisha-Universums mir besorgen hehe), Bye!

What a brilliant series. This book starts where the last one finishes off. The story is a brilliant continuation of the first two books and doesn't disappoint. I loved all the characters, Mal and Alina especially and loved the fact that they seem to want to stick together no matter whats happening. They are there for each other. I also like the fact that they have friends who are just as annoying as they would be in real life. Leigh Bardugo certainly thought about her character when writing this series. I cant wait to start The Six of Crows soon. Loving this!!!!

It started of a little too boring and slow for my liking. However, luckily it picked up pace and got REALLY exciting after a few chapters. I loved how the series ended. I didn't expect it like that but it was brilliantly thought out. Oh and one more thing: I'm obsessed with her picturesque writing style and intriguing world building!!

Mh, I don't really know what to rate this. The ending felt incredibly unsatisfactory. There was simply a lot of ruin and basically no rising? WHERE WAS THE RISING?? I love Alina and personally think that she deserved so much better.

I had issues getting into this one at first. Now that I think of it, they all start kinda slow, but this one had longer chapters and the first like 80 pages just took so long. I feel like the story could be slimmed down in some places, I sometimes felt like skim reading, cause nothing really happened. Also random side note, one of my favourites in this book was actually Zoya. I don't know if people still hate her, cause no one ever talks about her, but she just kept me entertained the whole time and she's still really badass. Love that girl, she deserves everything. I enjoyed Alina more in this one as well. The last book was just very weird for her and Mal both, they felt like strangers. Mal was growing on me again in this one, too. Probably I just like them when they're happy and together. I actually like them together and don't ship Alina with the creep who wants to break her so.... No hate, ship what you ship, but the Darkling is horrendous. I really liked the ending Mal and Alina got, it was very sweet and in character and also the whole plot twist around Mal, that was very good and actually surprising. So the Darkling. I don't really care about any try to humanise him, I didn't even read his short story in the back of the book cause I just couldn't care less okay. He did horrible things and wanted to do even more of them and he deserved to be ripped apart by his own creatures. But well, the death he got was great, cause he died like any other regular person. It's what he deserved, to see just how not special he was in the end. And now to my Bae Nikolai. I still think his and Alina's involvement, however you wanna interpret it, is very weird. He is also barely in this book, which I didn't like, he was the only thing that kept me truly involved in the last book. And what happened to him got me real scared. Like I know King of Scars exists but I was still scared to the core when the Darkling did that horrible thing to him. Definitely interesting for character development. Bur damn. Scary. In the end, this was definitely a good book, as good as the first one if not better I'd say, but somehow these stories never manage to take that last step into my heart, I'm not sure why, so this isn't a five star as well. 

Dieses Buch hat mich fertig gemacht. Es war eines der besten Fantasy-Finales, das ich je gelesen habe. Immer wieder gern!

Reread 2019: "They had an ordinary life, full of ordinary things - if love can ever be called that." Habe ich schon mal gesagt, was für ein perfektes Ende das ist? Das ist das perfekteste Ende einer Reihe, das ich je gelesen habe. Bei Harry Potter fand ich alles zu kitschig und hm, aber hier endet es so wunderschön, einfach genau richtig. Es gibt den perfekten Abschluss für alle, selbst die, die nicht überleben, und Bardugo führt alle Fäden gekonnt zu einem Ende. Immer noch fünf Sterne und so herzerwärmend. ____________ Ich fürchte, dies wird weniger ein Review, als eine Schwärmerei. Zu Band 1 und 2 habe ich ja schon genug erzählt, warum ich die Reihe mag. Zu wiederholen, was mir so gefällt, würde hier in schwere inhaltliche Spoiler abdriften. Es ist auf jeden Fall ein würdiger Abschluss und ich habe sofort hinterher Six of Crows und das Sequel davon bestellt! "Ruin and Rising" löst alles zufriedenstellend auf, mit einigen Wendungen, die ich nicht habe kommen sehen und das Ende - hach. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass es mir derart gefallen würde. Die ganze Reihe ist eines meiner Lese-Highlights in der letzten Zeit und ich werde sie definitiv bald wieder lesen. Denn sehr lang ist sie ja doch nicht - und das ist auch das einzige Manko, das ich an "Ruin and Rising" finden kann.

this series wasn't my favourite of all times but in the end i grew so attached to it! of course the worldbuilding was the best thing about this trilogy, at least for me, but it was the minor characters that really made me fall in love with this last book! and of course the feels man. i'm actually so sad it's over.

I can't believe that I didn't want to read this series at first because it is so so so good. I don't really have a lot of words to say about it but I liked the characters a lot (most of them), the relationship developments (also most of them XD), and the plot. There's some very few points of the plot and the relationships that I disliked but made so much sense and fit so perfectly well into the narrative that I can't even be mad about it. 100% reccomend.

Only one word: AMAZING!!!! I really loved this book. There were so many moments I fell for: Zoya and Alina, Just Zoya, Moments that were Sad, Happy, Funny, etc. . Also the women in this book were incredible(I now can say I love all those women). Go read it, the first two books were worth reading through, bc at the end I got two finish with this. The ending was great in some aspects, some not(if you know me you know). But I would all recommend you this book. I am gonna say it once again: Leigh Bardugo, you got me!

Yea no what is happening and why and huh? Istg I'm convinced now that people who love this series don't care about the main plot they just love the Darkling. I've never had a series disappoint me as much as this one.

"Ruin and Rising" definitely was the best book out of the trilogy. It had action, a plot and so many emotions packed within the pages. It kinda had the right amount of everything and it closed beautifully.

🫶🏻