The second book in any trilogy is hard to pull off – there has to be a cliffhanger of some sort, to leave fans aching for the final book, but it needs to also provide just enough satisfaction that readers still want to continue reading. There’s a fine line between a good sequel and a bad one, so I’m always relieved when I make it to the end of a second book and realize that I liked it even more than the first.
And so it was with Siege and Storm, which has officially usurped Shadow and Bone as my new favorite Leigh Bardugo work. It’s fast-paced and action-packed, the romantic bits are just beginning to boil over, and there are plenty of twists to keep a reader invested and on his or her toes (I was certainly on mine). Plus, as much as I like Mal, I have to admit, NikolaiΒ is perhaps the greatest character in this series, and I’m now totally fangirling out over him. I want him to get everything he’s after and more. Mostly, because I’m a total sucker for male characters who know what they want and how to get it, who are rakish and charming and a bit rascally, but who haven’t given up their humanity in the slightest. NikolaiΒ is all of those things and then some. He’s ruthless when he needs to be, but he’s still tender and human and aware of what that means. He completely stole the show in this book, a fact about which I am not complaining!
So, here’s to book 3: May it bring much more Nikolai!!!
Rating: 5/5 starsΒ