Sailing on the True Sea and far from The Fold and all the havoc and death she helped The Darkness reap there, Alina and Mal are finally free. But The Darkness is not one to let go so easily, and with even stronger powers he soon has Alina (The Sun Summoner) under his control again.

Alina and Mal are on another ship under a Captain Sturmhond. The Darkling isn’t happy with Alina having only one amplifier for her powers, and is after another mythical creature. This time it is a monster of the deep. He forces Mal to use his epic tracking skills to find it, after threatening Alina with torture.

The Darkling might have a plan in place, but so does someone else on board. Sturmhond isn’t who he says he is, and again, Alina is in a battle to escape The Darkling. Soon they are back at the very place they’ve been trying to avoid for months – The Little Palace (Home of The Darkling).

Sturmhond’s true self (no spoilers here) wants Alina to join him in taking control of Ravka. First the 2nd army, (made up of Grisha) and then the throne. But where does that leave Mal? Alina is torn between her bond with Mal, and the power that is growing within her.

This second book in the trilogy focuses on Alina’s rise and leadership of the 2nd army (Grisha). She is unsure of this position, but an ally moulds her into who she must be – for Ravka’s sake. Still, she is torn between wanting to use her power for good, and even making it stronger, and keeping what she and Mal have alive. Her struggle becomes even harder when her visions of The Darkling make her question her sanity.

These visions are creepy, and make me dislike The Darkling even further. I also wanted Alina to speak her truth to Mal, and bridge the gap between them. His destructive behaviour is also frustrating, but when it comes to the crunch, both protect the other.

The climax of this novel was unexpected, devastating but thrilling, creeping up on me, then slamming down on all at The Little Palace. I’m diving into the third and final part of the trilogy Ruin and Rising next. 

Author – Leigh Bardugo

Age – 13+

Read the rest of the series

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