Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo is the last novel in her Grisha Trilogy. The Darkling has won- Alina is under the "protection" of the Apparat, a man who leads a cult that worships Alina. The Darkling has expanded the Fold, and Ravka and its surrounding countries are entirely controlled by him. Hiding in the ancient tunnels of the country, Alina and her supporters must find a way to the Firebird- a mythical creature that is also the last of Morozova's amplifiers. With all three amplifiers enhancing her power, Alina would be able to destroy the Fold and the Darkling. Based on clues and the tracking ability of her friend Mal, Alina must find the last amplifier and face the Darkling one last time.

I really enjoyed the last installment to this series. I thought it was a fitting end to the entire series. Like her other books, Ruin and Rising was also full of action and plot twists. It was another enthralling read. Each of the characters were realistic in their thoughts and actions, and the internal struggles that Alina had were also explored in detail, more so than the previous book. This novel made me think of greed and how far some people would go for power. Readers of the books in this series would definitely want to read this book and complete the full story. However, any reader of fantasy and magic stories, as well as action stories would love it too. I would definitely recommend reading the previous novels, as that way the story would make much, much more sense. Ruin and Rising was an amazing ending to the trilogy.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 10
Montrose Library