Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

The Darkling has taken control of Ravka, but the Sun Summoner has not forfeited. With the entire nation regarding her as a Saint, Alina must be extra careful about her next moves and discretely reunite with Nikolai to find the last of the amplifiers to finally face the Darkling where it all began—in the blackness of the Fold.

The final book in the Grisha trilogy is tightly structured; Bardugo’s characters are driven to make very tough decisions with devastating consequences, propelled along by the nonstop threat of the Darkling, his army, and his terrible power. These consequences bring the characters closer than ever, but Bardugo eases the tension of the plot with stolen moments of humor and easy banter. These moments of levity balance out the emotional crises and also make the difficult consequences easier to read as they build up to an explosive climax. Although the resolution of the trilogy may be unexpected in some aspects, the ending has emotional resonance that will satisfy ever reader.

Cover Comments: Another fantastic cover--I love how it has the phoenix rising out of the title treatment.

Book borrowed from a friend.