Description

Introduction

In a fight with darkness and evil, a Nation is either about to fall or is about to be made stronger. Either way a bloodshed is ensured and sacrifices are confirmed. With a disbanded army and a lost sun summoner, is the downfall of darkness confirmed or will it conquer the nation…

About the Book

Ruin and Rising is the third and last book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. The book is also referred to as the cult classic by the fans. With twists that make you want to read the book in one go, it is a perfect conclusion of the series. Also the epilogue at the end will make you think about the whole story in a different way.

Blurb

Alina Starkov, the sun summoner with now lost powers has to live in the tunnels which are situated beneath Ravka, under the protection of the Apparat and his followers. Not only Alina and her team are allowed to not talk among them but also they doubt the Apparat is of any good to them. With a hope of finding the prince safe and the firebird which is essential for defeating the darkling and saving Ravka. But first they need to get out of the tunnels safe without the Apparat….

Themes

Some of the important themes discussed in the book are-

• Trust- Alina was portrayed as someone who is lost and cannot trust people that easily. But in this book it is shown how trust can be helpful in overcoming troubles and even past traumas too.
• Fate vs Choice- this is the most intriguing theme so far. Through the story it was conveyed how fate plays an important role in life but still the choices we make affect it.
• Death and loss- it surely is the end of the series so this one has to be expected…
• Redemption- the characters show how a person even after doing evil all his/her can have a change of heart and can seek redemption.
• Consequences- everything we do, either good or bad is followed by consequences. The past mistakes made by the characters will now affect them.

Characters

Following were the characters-

• Alina Starkov- from being a shy girl to the most powerful woman, Alina is someone who I think every girl will look at . Though she may not know who to trust or even love in the first two books, she certainly does know in this one. Her fear of trusting someone is resolved in this one.
• Mal Oretsev- a genuine friend/ lover who once again showed that no matter what happens he will be there. And he is not just any ordinary soldier, he is someone who will not think twice before standing up for his friends even if it means he can even die.
• Darkling- someone who totally worships power. And also someone who dares not to give up anytime soon. The epilogue is based on his initial life and it surely does explain why he is the way he is today.
• Zoya Nazyalensky- someone who is one of the most powerful Grishas who knows the consequences of choosing to stand against the Darkling and she is also one of the first ones to do so. And yet again she won’t back down even though she knows chances are very low of winning.
• Nikolai Lantsov- a lost prince who saw his own family getting murdered infront of his own eyes.
• Genya Safin- she is a living example of what Darkling Is capable of doing and yet she is ready to face him again.

Best Lines 

• Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay.
• Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what’s inside you? That’s steel. It’s brave and unbreakable. And it doesn’t need fixing.
• In this moment he was just a boy -brilliant, blessed with too much power, burdened by eternity.

About The Author 

Leigh Bardugo is an author who is most loved by fantasy readers. Not only did she create the most beautiful fantasy world i.e. the Grishaverse but also gave the readers a story worth re-reading and characters worth missing. Truly she is a queen of the fantasy genre.

Conclusion

Though the readers will surely not be in a state to say goodbye to this series, the ending was indeed satisfactory. Truly if the characters are seen from the start up till now, they did develop a lot. And the most awaited epilogue at the end is something everyone will take time to accept.