Bardugo, Leigh. Crooked Kingdom (series Six of Crows #2).

Bardugo, Leigh.  Crooked Kingdom (series Six of Crows #2). Macmillan/Henry Holt     2016  546p  $18.99  ISBN 978-1-62779-213-4  Hardback  hs/adult     Adventure  VG-BN

Fans of Six of Crows will be lined up for its sequel, Crooked Kingdom. Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.      Bardugo picks up the threads of the first novel and it is just under a week since the Dregs reached Ketterdam (about a month since they left Djerholm). The stakes for the band of thieves keep increasing. They are fighting to snatch Inej from Van Eck before he has his way with her, and they are almost out of time. They devise a clever plan to destroy Van Eck’s sugar crop, using Wylan’s weevil, and to destroy his reputation at the same time.

The action and tension is non-stop. Convoluted plots-within-plots with unexpected twists and turns will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Readers will invest in these well-drawn characters and tear through the pages to see who survives and who does not. The ending is unpredictable and shocking. Darkly compelling, this novel will make readers demand another volume for the series in order to provide closure after the surprise ending.             

Summary: In this sequel to Six of Crows, Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Outlaws-Fiction, Adventure-Fiction                          —Hilary Welliver

Bardugo, Leigh. Six of Crows.

Bardugo, Leigh.  Six of Crows.  Macmillan/Henry Holt  2015  465p  $18.99      ISBN 978-1-62779-212-7    hs  Fantasy  VG-BN     

Six of Crows is set in the same world as Bardugo’s award-winning Grisha trilogy, taking place after the conclusion of the trilogy’s final book. However, it is entirely possible to read and enjoy this volume without having read anything else by the author. All of the specialized terminology used to describe magic-users is defined very naturally, and because this story is set in a different country from that of the Grisha series, the rest of the setting will be as new and fresh to veteran Bardugo fans as it will be to newcomers.

In this book, Bardugo puts together a believable gang of underworld outcasts who have been scraping by under the leadership of the enigmatic Kaz, whose sole confidante is his spymaster Inej, although their injurious history with each other makes it difficult for either one to completely trust the other. Each member of Kaz’s gang is a developed, interesting character, and learning about them is every bit as intriguing as the plot itself, even though the plot is the sort to keep a reader up way too late reading at night, just to finish the novel.

Summary: Six outcasts living on the fringe of criminal society take on a job that will test their skills to the utmost, but if they succeed they might just manage to save the world in this “can’t-put-it-down” volume by Leigh Bardugo, author of the Grisha Trilogy.  

Fantasy, Heists-Fiction, Magic-Fiction                      --Bethany Geleskie

Ruins and Rising. (the Grisha trilogy)

Bardugo, Leigh.  Ruins and Rising.  (the Grisha trilogy)  Macmillan/Henry Holt      2014  422p  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-8050-9461-9      hs    Fantasy     VG-BN

The cover art of Ruins and Rising includes the stag, a sea serpent, and a firebird, which symbolize the amplifiers Alina sought in earlier volumes.  In the third installment of the Grisha trilogy, Alina continues to search for Morosova’s last amplifier, the phoenix, while coming to terms with the power she wields and choosing which love interest (Mal or Nikolai) will ultimately win her heart.  The Darkling continues to harrass Alina at every turn, but it is apparent that he, too, has feelings for her. 

The tone of Ruins and Rising differs significantly from that of the earlier volumes; it is darker and harsher.  Readers invested in the series may be disappointed when Alina ultimately clings to Mal and we see both Nikolai and the Darkling destroyed.  Alina rejects the crown, power, and her home, all enormous personal sacrifices, in order to save the country and live a very ordinary life. 

Even readers who have not read Siege and Storm or Shadow and Bone will be carried along by the fast-moving, action-packed plot of Ruin and Rising.  Those who have read the earlier books may be surprised when innocents die, or many of their favorite characters perish.  Bardugo leaves very few loose ends. Though the plot begs for a happy ending, the ending Bardugo supplies is plausible.

The Grisha series is very readable high fantasy.  Fans of these books will be gratified to learn that two more spin-off stories set in the same world are to be published in the near future.        

Summary: The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.  Alina forges new alliances as she and Mal search for Morosova’s last amplifier.  But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that alters her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields.  

Fantasy-Fiction                                             --Hilary Welliver

Bardugo, Leigh. The Siege and Storm.

Bardugo, Leigh.   The Siege and Storm.    Macmillan/ Henry Holt   2013  435p  ISBN 978-0-8050-9460-2        hs    Hardback      E-BN  Fantasy

Set in an enchanting world that is both like and unlike imperial Russia, the second book in the Grisha series continues the story of Alina, whose unique ability to manipulate light magic has made her an irresistible lure to the devious and dangerous Darkling, whose powers are her opposite. The book opens with Alina and her beloved Mal fleeing Ravka to escape the Darkling.  But they are soon drawn back to their home country as Alina learns that there is more to be done to stop the evil the Darkling intends to release upon the world, even though it means completing a nigh-impossible quest to find creatures that only exist in legend.  Along the way, the pair is joined by a charming sailor who is more complicated than he seems, and when the time comes reveals himself to be both a greater ally and a greater liability than either Alina or Mal expected. All of the characters from the first book have grown, becoming far more realistic, in keeping with Bardugo's writing, which is smoother than before but no less full of delicious tension and drama, effortlessly keeping readers engaged until the very end and leaving them whimpering pathetically for more. 2014 is so very far away.         

Any library with a teen collection should include this book. And its prequel, of course. It should probably put in a standing order for the third book, too.  

Summary: Mal and Alina are on the run from the Darkling and trying to save Ravka in this excellent sequel to Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, which introduces intriguing new characters, intriguing new places, and exciting new kinds of magic, while improving on the fantastic storytelling that made Shadow and Bone a best seller.

Magic-Fiction, Adventure-Fiction                            --Bethany Geleskie

Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone.

Bardugo, Leigh.   Shadow and Bone.  Macmillan/Henry Holt    358p  $17.99     

978-0-8050-9459-6       hs          VG-BN             Fantasy    

Swept up in a border war as a mapmaker, young Alina is pulled away from her military service and into the camp of the Grisha, a magical people who support the world’s royalty.  Here she becomes the favorite of the Darkling, whose powers eclipse those of all of the other Grisha.  Alina learns the truth about the Darkling’s plans for her and comes to realize that she is more powerful than the Darkling.  This knowledge allows her to turn the Darkling’s plans from enlarging The Fold (an area of darkness and foul creatures) into destroying the Fold and protecting her world.    

The author’s use of historical Russia as the foundation for this story of magical realism is unusual and effective.  Tsarist-like royalty and a Rasputin-like character play an important role in this wonderful fantasy novel, which is the first book in a planned trilogy.  The author has done a fantastic job of providing a history of the world while simultaneously weaving a story that sustains the readers’ interest through to the end.  The character of Alina is portrayed as strong and increasingly powerful, and she plays well against the powerful and charming bad guy, the Darkling.  This book would be a highly recommended addition to any high-school or public library collection where there is a following for the fantasy genre.

Fantasy – Fiction, Magic – Fiction                                -- Lynn Fisher