When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.

Shadow and Bone had quite the ending. The Darkling showing his true allegiance, death and destruction, Alina and Mal on the run… So of course in Siege and Storm they get captured by pirates (cough I mean privateers), the Darkling shows up again, they go meet the royal family, the Darkling shows up again, and in the end… things just keep ending up getting worse.

It’s really a solid step up from Shadow and Bone. It’s still got a YA core, but it’s definitely edging on the darker end of it all–which I really enjoy. I’m absolutely looking forward to where this goes next!

Things I liked:

• The new cast of characters. Sturmhond. His crew. Nikolai (yes, I know).

  Mal crossed his arms and considered the privateer. “I can’t decide if you’re crazy or stupid.”
  “I have so many good qualities,” Nikolai said. “It can be hard to choose.”

• New growth for old characters. Oh Genya (and David). I just want the best for her/the both of them. It’s fascinating to me to see a fairly clearly autistic secondary character in a book without it being his only trait or overwhelming the rest of the story. It’s just who he is. I’m glad they kept that into the show as well.

• It’s also nice to see Alina growing into her role(s) and powers.

  “You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai?” I asked as I closed the book’s cover and headed for the door. “They always end up dead.”

• The worldbuilding. It’s fascinating to see the Darkling’s new powers, along with some of the new magical technology the Fabrikators dream up.

• The escalation. It actually feels like war now and (like I said) things get dark.

Things I did not:

• Mal. He’s got all sorts of complicated issues to work through, what with the girl he grew up with getting all super powered. But oy is he annoying in this one.

• The love … shape(?) with no clear progress in any of the directions. She’s young and there are so many extra factors at play… but it’s tiring.