vanGaucho
š¦š· š©šŖ | Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Literary Fiction. Here for great stories and deep plots.
1531 points
vanGaucho wrote a review...
Siege and Storm feels very much like a transition book, setting the stage for what I hope will be a great conclusion to the trilogy.
Compared to the first book, I found the plot less engaging. There isn't as much action, aside from the opening and the final chapters, and the storyline surrounding the amplifiers started to feel a bit repetitive.
The standout character is definitely Nikolai. He brings fresh energy to the story, and his charisma, wit, and political skills make every scene with him enjoyable. On the other hand, Alina and Mal are still stuck in their endless game of cat and mouse. Their relationship never fully clicks for me, so I'm curious to see where it goes in the final book.
I also felt that a lot of the novel focuses on preparing for the defense of Os Alta. While this builds anticipation, it also slows the pacing at times.
The final battle was exciting and well written, but it was surprisingly short, especially considering it takes place within the last 5% of the book. I would have loved to see it expanded.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. While there are a few pacing and plot issues that could have been improved, it successfully sets up the finale, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the trilogy ends.
0vanGaucho commented on NachoCheese's update
NachoCheese TBR'd a book
Shady Hollow (Shady Hollow, #1)
Juneau Black
2vanGaucho finished a book
Siege and Storm
Leigh Bardugo
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Bardugo I know you like adding Russian themes to the books but why name a character Privyet š the Russian word for hello
4vanGaucho commented on Empanadita's review of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)
This was an incredible emotional rollercoaster - I've been giggling, I've been shocked, I've been angry, but most of all I've been in love with this incredible mother-son-duo!
Enjoyment Actually, I expected a funny and light-hearted story. While there are jokes, the story itself certainly is not light-hearted and easy. But thanks to the beautiful prose and incredible characters, I enjoyed it so, so much!
Quality There such a seamless change of prose across the book, it fascinates me: from really blunt sentences like "fuck your mother" (this one is going to stick) to beautiful prose, jokes, and sarcasm. All this helps bearing the heavy topics that are part of this story. The only thing that annoyed me a little bit were certain exaggerations which were not that credible.
Characters The relationship between Raja and his mother Zalfa is so interesting and I liked how I got to understand it more and more. Both of them have a special place in my heart!
Plot Basically, the plot is one parentheses after the other but I didn't mind at all. Sometimes I got so lost in the substory that I was surprised we had left the main path. In the end, every substory was an important contribution to the main story, though here again some exaggerations were too much. The ending though, I looooved it!!! It was perfect š„¹
All in all, 5 stars because I'm a sucker for endings š
4Post from the Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2) forum
vanGaucho commented on saturnia's update
saturnia completed their yearly reading goal of 100 books!
saturnia's 2026 Reading Challenge
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