Tag: Leigh Bardugo

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The Bookish Owl – King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Another day, another pretty book: King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo.

This book is part of the Grishaverse, of which I thoroughly enjoyed the original trilogy. ‘King of Scars’ focuses on some of the supporting characters from the Shadow and Bone trilogy and it was really interesting to get a look inside their heads. Zoya, who was a total bitch in the original trilogy, ended up being my favorite. Mind you, she’s still a total bitch, but when you get to see more of her character you start to understand why. Besides, she’s a bitch who fights so very hard to protect her country and those under her command, and that makes her a likable bitch.

Of course there’s also Nikolai, the dashing Prince-turned-Pirate-turned-Prince-turned-Monster-turned-King. For once he got outshined by other characters, but to be fair to him he was dealing with turning into a monster at night and attacking livestock…

I had not expected this book to be part of a duology, so now I’m rather miffed that I have to wait for the next book. I’m off to sulk.

King of Scars
by Leigh Bardugo

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

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The Bookish Owl – Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

First book of the year is Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo.

The beginning of 2020 has not been kind to me, which means I’m already sooo behind on my owl posts. I’m almost done reading my fourth book, so go figure. But hey, at least I’m getting a lot of reading done, even if I don’t have a handle on anything else, right? Always look on the bright side!

But enough with the gloom. This book is the last in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, and after finishing the series I highly recommend it. It’s also part of the Grishaverse, of which I have at least one more book waiting on my shelf, so you’ll probably see more of it in the coming months.

Ruin and Rising
by Leigh Bardugo

Soldier. Summoner. Saint.

The nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

The Darkling rules from his shadow throne while a weakened Alina Starkov recovers from their battle under the dubious protection of the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Now her hopes lie with the magic of a long-vanished ancient creature and the chance that an outlaw prince still survives.

As her allies and enemies race toward war, only Alina stands between her country and a rising tide of darkness that could destroy the world. To win this fight, she must seize a legend’s power―but claiming the firebird may be her ruin.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

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The Bookish Owl – Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Today’s book post is about Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.

I’m hoping this book is as good as the first one in the trilogy (which I only picked up out of desperation when I ran out of books on vacation), because I devoured that one in a day.

I’m in the mood for magic, treachery and mysteries, so I’m counting on this book to deliver.

Siege and Storm
by Leigh Bardugo

Soldier. Summoner. Saint.

Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner―hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice―and only she can face the oncoming storm.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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The Bookish Owl – Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone Leigh Bardugo

In case you’re not sick and tired of these posts yet (this is the 40th!), here’s Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

I committed hubris by only bringing a single book with me on my trip to Budapest last week. I always bring 3 or 4 for a five day trip where I’ll get little time to read, and I only ever get through half of one, so I figured I was safe.

I was not.

So obviously I had to scour the guidebook and find the address of an English bookstore in Budapest. The one I found had an excellent selection of Fantasy books. I know this, because I had already read half of said selection, and as such had a hard time picking out a new book. I ended up with this one, because the cover was pretty and it sounded moderately interesting.

As I’m behind on these posts, I can tell you that I already read it. It took me a day. I enjoyed it immensely (and hopefully not just because I was drugged up on painkillers after a chaotic trip through airport security with a sprained wrist) and I’m definitely getting the other books in the series the next time there’s a good sale.

Shadow and Bone
by Leigh Bardugo

Soldier. Summoner. Saint.

Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold―a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite―and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.

As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.

Shadow and Bone Leigh Bardugo