also, I'm so glad i subscribed to your channel. Your reviews are so insightful. Usually I find book reviews kinda boring, but yours have structure and aren't all over the place :)
@@em.kay21 Yeah, I know. But he wasn't getting anything when this trilogy was being written. And, if I'm not mistaken, the duology will cover the events after the big finale. It would be great to see Grisha trilogy from his perspective, would be much more interesting
I don’t mind Mal necessarily, but he’s not compatible with Alina at all romantically. I think the problem with Alina’s inconsistent personality is she is one person for Nikolai and a completely different one for Mal. I found that she doubted herself and wanted to return to who she was in the first book when she was with Mal, but I think Nikolai brings out a much more complex and interesting Alina. I just wish she would stop being so stubborn and let Nikolai guide her into the badass character she could be! I really think that a leader with a complex and intriguing personality is buried deep in her somewhere, and we almost get to see it when she’s with Nikolai! It was so frustrating that she continually tried to be the meek, “I don’t want to be here, I just want to run away and forget my problems” character just for Mal. To watch Mal encourage this behaviour was what I didn’t like about him. Alina needs to move on ASAP, I get that it’s painful but god damn girl let yourself be awesome lol Nikolai is one of my favourite characters ever, just as a side note
For me I just cannot stand Alina and being in her head sucks... She didnt vocalize her issues esp to Mal.. and the author has the habit of imputing the Darkling or Nikolai or Zoya at the most unfortunate moments when the two were about to resolve the issues between them.. And to me, it perhaps a reflection of the author herself rather than just this character - cos I have a feeling this is how the author acts in real life - going around in circle and may be - perhaps may be not vocalizing the issues out in the open.
Idk man. She raised her son to think that love was fickle, devoid of empathy and very cruel. Now she pays for what she did, or, as the idiom goes « You reap what you sow ». Genya on the other hand really is a victim of her circumstances and I feel so bad 🥺🥺
Unpopular opinion: I didn't feel sorry for both of them. *Baghra* for obvious reasons, she is a toxic mom. Baghra's method as a mother is the type of mother who will raise her child to be a serial killer irl but when her child actually kill someone she will start fake crying, publicly, about how she didn't see that coming, and how about she raised him with love that she doesn't know how s/her child turned out to be like that. I don't feel bad for *Genya* because she acted stupid. She betrayed the darkling in front of his eyes (like ok she wanted to change side COOL!!) but she *STAYED* i'll dare to say she deserved it. The darkling just got fooled, lost the second amplifier to Alina again, lost one of his most loyal soldiers (Ivan) and his other loyal soldier (Genya) just betrayed him so it doesn't take you much thinking to know he will punish her for that. The fact that Alina asked her to leave with them but she said *No* like what did she expect? He will give her a hug? LB made Genya dumb ( which she wasn't before this event) just to force this narrative: *Look, the darkling is pure evil, look what he did to Genya?*
I absolutely LOVE the Six of Crows duology but this series is.. meh. I’m gonna keep reading because it’s not bad but it’s not fantastic. I don’t like that Mal and Alina had to fall in love. They should’ve just stayed friends in my opinion. I’m not a fan when two perfectly good friends fall in love. However, I think the world is absolutely fantastic.
yES SIX OF CROWS AND CROOKED KINGDOM ARE SO FCKING GOOD BUT THEN THERE'S THIS. ALSO SIX OF CROWS AND THE FIRST BOOK OF THIS SERIES ARE GETTING A NETFLIX ADAPTATION.
I hated Mal as a character in this book. Mind you it's been a while since I read it, but if I remember right he's so insecure about his relationship with Alina that he starts making out with his fan girl behind her back. When she catches him in the act he does nothing to defend himself or try to fix his problems with her. Instead he drinks and mopes and outright ignores her rather than guarding her like he was supposed to. It was pathetic and excruciating to read.
sunako718 That’s fair, but I mean, I think that it wasn’t so much him being insecure as Alina pushing him away. What he did wasn’t great but he didn’t know that Alina was there and they really weren’t in a relationship at that point. Idk I don’t think he acted well but I don’t think Alina did either and I at least understood where he was coming from.
@@JordanHarveybooks I agree that Alina didn't act well either. She wasn't the most memorable character, mind you. Mal, for all his poor actions and insecurities, at least had character growth and was memorable. Alina was just there to be pushed around. Which is why I pitied her more than disliked her. In trying to do the best she could for everyone she nearly lost everything including the boy she loves.
sunako718 I mean, I think a lot of the reason why I didn’t like her and why I pitied Mal was because Alina actively pushed him away. That’s why I didn’t really put it on him. She gave no indication that she wanted to continue the relationship. I think they’re both wrong and acted poorly.
I love him for that lol. He's a real human full of flaws. The problem is that Leigh did not develop him well. Mal's entire character screams a good redemption arc that did not happen.
@@JordanHarveybooks the thing that most bothered me about Mal kissing Zoya back is that he knows Zoya has been cruel to Alina. He’s supposedly in love with Alina but he goes and embraces and kisses the girl who has been awful to her.
I agree with pretty much everything you said. Nikolai is by far my favourite character. I really don’t like Mal, but more because he is just not developed as a character at all outside of his relationship with Alina. I don’t like him because I don’t know him. He is a forgettable character. My main issue with this whole series is that it all feels really underdeveloped. Like it was written before any real development went into the world, the magic system or the characters. It feels like an unedited first draft. I was so underwhelmed and very surprised because Six of Crows is just so good! I love your reviews, thank you!
Mal is like the biggest miss of Leigh Bardugo. It's nice to see a regular joe who is not totally useless but not overpowered either with real humanistic personal conflicts but did not get a good development. He has the goods for a good character development but he just ended up being Alina's arm candy.
"I liked Mal, I really enjoy him. I didn't often agree with his choices, but I understood him." Quoting John Truby (Anatomy of Story, chapter 4 Character): "What's really important is that audiences understand the character but not necessarily like everything he does." And also Mckee (Story, part 7 The Story Substance): "The PROTAGONIST must be empathetic; he may or may not be sympathetic." I know Mal isn't the main character, but I think that point applies on him the same. And sadly, it seems Alina is hard to empathaize with. Giving your characters weaknesses (self-doubt, judgemental habits etc.) is an important part in character building. But weaknesses have to be dealt with throughout of the plot. If the character self-doubts herself since the start and all the way through to the end... Then having this weakness is pointless. It serves nothing; It could've been any other weakness since it bears no meaning to the character, the plot, etc. At least that's what I think about when I'm writing a character.
I actually really loved this series for Alina's negative qualities. I thought that her obsession with power was something I had never been able to see used in a protagonist before.
I also love Mal! I'm honestly not sure where all the Mal hate comes from. Yeah, he has his flaws, but I feel like the characters in the books recognize them as flaws and try to deal with them. I've read so many YA books that have a very flawed love interest, but rather than trying to deal with the flaws and develop the character the flaws are just there to make them more hot.
Oh, I remember reading part of this, but I couldn't get past how much I disliked Alina. If i'm remembering right, she honestly felt more like the antagonist. And not in the 'Anakin' kind of way, she was just dumb, mean, and selfish. My interest dropped below zero pretty fast. I liked Mal, I actually felt bad for him trying to deal with Alina haha.
"I love a lot of death in books." I'm crying. 🤣🤣 I didn't like Mal, but I disliked Alina even more, so... free shrugs. Nikolai and Genya are the only reason I stick around.
I just finished reading this for the first time today. Highly agree with a lot of the things you've said. Alina is not a likeable protagonist. I feel no connection to or sympathy for her. And because she's so bland, I don't "ship" her with any of three men shown to be into her. At a push, I'd say her relationship with the Darkling is the most interesting because Alina is at her most interesting when she's finding herself similar to/drawn to him (which isn't really saying much). I don't dislike Mal. But his relationship with Alina frustrates me because, in terms of the writing, it's totally unearned. Bardugo basically introduced Alina in the first book as already being in love with him so there was absolutely zero development between their characters, and yet we're supposed to find their drama and their love compelling. It's cheap writing, to me, and frankly the worst part about the book. I think this series (so far, I haven't read #3 yet) would have been so much better if we actually saw more development between these two characters, since they seem to be the heart of the story. Also, side note, it annoyed me how they got captured right at the beginning of the book. Like, I started reading book two right after finishing book one and the time between them "escaping" the Darkling and getting recaptured was so small, it was basically pointless. Seriously, the first book could have ended with the bleakness of Alina and Mal still being captured--them fleeing across the sea seemed to serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever.
i also never understood how they found the world's most elusive sea serpent in a week and how Alina killed the giant armoured snake, while on a boat. It's in its own element. Her powers are new to her. It just toppled over and gave itself up.
Your channel and The Authentic Reader's one are my favorite booktube channels and the first ones I'm really excited about to see a new video every time! 💕
It's been a few years since I've this series, so I don't remember everything only that when I finally read the first two books in Six of Crows (apparently a third one is coming out at some point) I could tell her writing had improved and the characters in that series were more interesting. I also like Mal's character. I don't really understand why people hate him as much as they do. Alina was often very wishy-washy when it came to many things and I remember that frustrating me, and I don't know why she is a favorite character for them.
Once again I love your review, the way you speak about the plot and characters is great and they're the only reviews I can watch til the end. I also love Nikolai! His character was very interesting and I love how he carries himself. Also the pacing thing is totally true, the book really hits you with a lot at the beginning. Unfortunately we disagree on Mal but what can you do? Not everyone is gonna have the same opinions. I can't wait to see you're thoughts and Ruin and Rising and Six of Crows!
@@JordanHarveybooks Haha I definitely am. I think the fandom more than anything hates Mal because of his relationship with Alina. On his own I still don't find him super interesting but it's not as bad as when he's with Alina you know?
God bless you I like Mal and didn't like Alina either. I felt like Mal's actions were really human and I really understood them. While I just disliked Alina more and more with each page. And bless Nikolai, the best character.
if i'm being honest, i liked mal a lot in this series as well!! he was kind of annoying in some parts, but we actually got to see his flaws and i think he was more layered than a majority of the rest of the characters.
so i just finished reading this book and i can 100% confirm that Nikolai was the only reason i pushed through the book as fast as i did. i'm absolutely in love with him honestly and can NOT wait to read King of Scars!!!
Nikolai is the most charismatic cinnamon roll! Also, SIX OF CROWS. You would LOVE it. The characters are very well done and intriguing, and they are morally grey. :)
I got the ePubs of the trilogy for sale this summer. I'm looking forward to reading this eventually. Thanks for another year of passionate Cogitating on these stories. Remember, your suffering is not just for us: it is so you don't repeat the mistakes of others. There are just so many darn lessons out there. 🤷♀️🤷♂️
I just read Siege and Storm and I agree with you wholeheartedly about Mal and Alina and how Mal is literally just trying to fit in and adjust to an environment he had never been in. Alina out of all people should know how that feels.
ughh I read the six of crows duology and fell in love with it, and I want to continue reading the new series, but I havent read the grisha trilogy and i’m not interested in reading it either so i’m cOnFuTiOn
Kudos to you for making it this far in the series, I could barely get through the first book. I decided not to put myself through that again, so I'm just watching spoilery reviews to prepare me for King of Scars.
I so totally agree with you about her writing! It doesn't really improve in her later books, and it's just so meh for me. Like it isn't bad but it's so boring
I finished siege and storm and I don't like grishaverse. I'm just reading them to get to six of crows bc I've heard it contains my fav tropes but anyway here is my opinion: I totally agree with you when you said we 're told not shown and I think this is everywhere in this book. I think book 2 is slightly better than 1st but still I don't feel anything for any of the characters they're just meh to me lol. Also the grisha world still needs a lot more developing. (Rest of the comment might contain some spoilers for book 2:) For example in the 1st book we're told that 1) it's not possible to have more than one amplifier and 2) you can't magically "create" things in grishaverse you can just "summon" them and 3) amplifiers can't be taken from someone as "you own them and they own you" kind of thing, but in the 2nd book all of these rules are broken :/ this might be intentional (though i don't think so) but When such things happen I'd rather there be some kind of forshadowing earlier that discusses the possibility of an exception to the rules of the story or no rules at all, just not making and breaking them after. This is why I think grishaverse is underdeveloped and anything can happen.
I just finished reading it, and I wasn’t too huge a fan. But I LOVE Six of Crows and it’s crazy seeing the difference in Leigh Bardugo’s writing between this series and that duology. I feel like characters had more depth in this book than in Shadow and Bone, but that didn’t necessarily make me like them. The only people I liked were Nikolai, Feydor, and Sergei. I know Sergei was kind of a jerk but he was one of the only people whose motivations were clear (aside from Nikolai of course)
you’re gonna love the SOC duology and King of Scars. The writing is SO much better and we see a lot more of the different countries from that world! if you love death you’re gonna LOVE Kaz, our beautiful antihero💚
Where are you at in the readalong? I have probably couple hours more of reading for six of crows. I know I'm behind but the live isn't on yet so I guess it's ok lol
I like before I hit play. Excited to watch this vid I always love your videos! I try to comment as much as I can but I never actually said how much I admire your work, your reviews are always so in-depth and intelligent and you're honestly the first person I go to on Booktube for insightful perspectives on fiction and such. I wish you luck getting through the rest of the Grisha novels, I was gonna do the readathon but I kinda just...didn't. lol.
I agree with all of the things you said. And I love Mal too... I don't know why people hate him, really. But Alina... I don't understand her at all. She, as you said sucks. (And I will not read the last book... the Six of Crows spoiled the end, so :/)
I read six of crows before the shadow and bone series and I didn’t think it spoiled anything, so personally I would suggest still reading the book, I thought it was a good conclusion!
@@BreeBuonomo Well, I read the grisha trilogy first (just the first 2 books, because in my country only that 2 were published at that time, and I preferred to read it in my mother language, so I decided I'll wait for the 3rd one. But I missed the world sooo I wanted to try the SoC. Ppl said that the Six of Crows won't spoil anything, so I picked it up, but in book it is said that Alina... well, I can't write it down here, because I feel like it's a spoiler. (Not about how things will happed, or about the end game, just about Alina's fate). So I don't know. Maybe that's just a misunderstanding. Maybe I'll try, thank you. :)
Surprisingly, Siege and Storm ended up being my favorite from this trilogy because I liked that the Darkling and his relationship/dynamic with Alina was fleshed out more in this book. Also, I liked that we got to see how the rest of the world differs from Ravka through Mal and Alina's quest in the first act. Obviously, I did have issues with it like Mal and Alina's constant fighting, how the pacing went from being really fast in the first act to being really slow for the rest of the book until the ending, and the Darkling acting creepy at times. Ruin and Rising would've ended up as my favorite of the trilogy if it weren't for the ending. After reading Rule of Wolves though, the outcome of the third book makes more sense so I'm probably going to have to re-read the trilogy to see if I change my opinion about it.
This is an old video but I had to leave a comment because my goodness, you expressed what I felt about the book way better than I could! haha I had a hard time with it (thankfully the audiobook made it way easier to digest) and you perfectly explained why. I truly like the magic and I'm curious about the plot, but Alina's headspace makes it so hard to get truly invested. I understood her in the first book, so I was excited to keep reading regardless, but this one was kinda exhausting. I might be in the minority when I say I'm not a huge fan of Nikolai, but he was the angel this book needed, because if we didn't get any comedic relief, I don't know if I could've pushed through. Alina is too pessimistc and not at all driven, I haven't seen such a passive MC in a long time. Anyway, we have very very similar opinions on this, I just really had to scream about it for a moment. Great review!!
I'm writing this fantasy book that happens in an Eastern-European inspired world, because I come from one of its countries, and seeing books written by non-native writers messing it up really annoys me. Especially that they're taking away the novelty effect from people that would probably do it better.
Everyone is ranting about Mal saying he was selfish and rude to Alina, but the only reason I hate Mal is because he's boring, LOL. I think he's mundane and irrelevant, and for the entirety of Siege and Storm, I was just wondering why the f**** he was still in the story. It's a personal thing for me to find the noble-and-heroic-cool-guy-with-anger-issues to be boring and old. We've seen that personality type billion times before, especially in YA. He honestly gives me HEAVY Adam vibes from the Shatter Me series (and I hated Adam, too). GOD, MAL IS JUST SO BORING. I think Nikolai and the Darkling overshadow him COMPLETELY (no pun intended). I found that each romantic moment him and Alina shared was boring. I felt nothing for them and I did not once root for their relationship. NOT ONCE. Their relationship was childish, very high school-y which was also boring. It honestly astonished me how he was the love interest “in the lead” the entire time. Mal was insecure and unreasonable. Toxic and angry. I have never met a character that made me scream into my pillow more times than Mal had just for existing. Oh, and did I mention that he bores me to goddamn tears?
I know i'm late, but THANK YOU. You just said my thoughts exactly 6 months ago. (I didn't read the sequel, the first on was too bad to continue for me)
Hey Jordan, any chance I could write a video essay for your channel? I'd seriously think about doing it myself, but the only decent microphone I had broke and I'm... also broke. I figure I could write it, and if you thought it was a good fit you could adopt it. If not then it's no skin off my teeth. I just think it would be fun.
I couldn't agree more with many of the points you made in this video and in the other. I hated Mal in the first book. To me he just seemed like a love-sick puppy for the last third of the book. He definitely developed more in this book. I, personally, still don't like him but like you, I understand where he's coming from and I'm able to tolerate him better. I understand how he feels with being left out in his best friend's life and everything. I just don't like how he kept on going back to her and attempting to make her to go with what he wants her to do instead of making her think for herself. Alina I cannot stand whatsoever. To me, she's such a flimsy character with no will or goal of her own. Everything she does, she does because someone else told her. I feel like she's a very flat character with no real character growth. You could put Mal in her place as the protagonist and it'd be a lot more interesting story. Or Nikolai. Or the Darkling.
The thing that shocked me about this book is the fact that Alina had unknowingly slept with the Darkling, who wore Mals face. Looking back to the first book when the Darkling was cruelly asking Alina about the fact how she was willing to give herself to him right in front of Mal after the stag was killed. Flash forward to book two, I was like: Yeah, Alina has unknowingly made her bed with the enemy. That aside, Nikolai was the character who saved the rest of the trilogy. And it brings a smile that he won one you over, thus making him the fan favorite to me and everyone else who has read the trilogy.
HIIII so I watched the show and then I was like “oh interesting, perhaps the book is better” so I read the first book and was a bit disappointed! Now i’m reading the second one and I am halfway through it, and I definitely feel like I need to finish it but I do not like Alina, or Mal, and I get what you said about Nikolai/Stormhold being intriguing… but it all seems very forced! I want to read the book to hmget more details and understand how the characters are feeling! But it seems to me that she writes as if she’s describing a movie she’s watching and so much essence gets lost
And lowkey what keeps me going is that people say six of crows is worth the first books of the grisha! But here I am watching a review to see if I’m inspired to keep on going
I read the first book and half of the second and felt like everything was just going to fast for me. So I put it down and didn't pick up again. Btw, I always love your book reviews :D
Okay, so my comment this time will not be as long as the one I left on your Shadow and Bone review, but I do want to say that this trilogy (in my opinion) is better the second time because you are able to pick up on small details and clues that are scattered throughout the books that have huge repercussions or payoffs in Ruin and Rising. Once again I will say that I enjoyed Alina as a protagonist and getting to see her internal struggle with power and everything going on around her. I found her to be a very relatable protagonist because people don't always know what they want and they are not prepared for every outcome. The writing in these books is very good and there are some individual quotes that just give me chills. To everyone saying that Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are better written or just better overall, I think you have to take into account the differences between the stories: one is a trilogy that is written from first person POV and centers around some major events, and the other is a heist story written from multiple perspectives (completely different characters) that centers around one city (for the most part). A quick note to your pacing comment: I think the emotions that the reader feels (a lot happening at once and then finally a chance to breath) beautifully mirrors what Alina is felling - she has very little say in what's happening at first and once she is able to make a choice she makes a big choice and tries to take back control of her life. Leigh Bardugo explains what needs to be explained and does not linger - everything she writes has a purpose. 9:05 I'm pretty sure Nikolai is 100% on board for Tolya and Tamar to protect Alina because he needs her kept safe and he trusts them to do it - she did not steal them. Sorry this really wasn't that short...
honestly i feel like mal could have been very interesting but he didn't have the immediately recognizable charm of either nikolai or the darkling, so it would have taken more development to show, which didn't happen. also, i think that since alina sucks it makes most of her relationships kind of suck, too. i liked alina in the first book even if she wasnt super active-- she seemed sharp and i thought her hesitance seemed realistic-- but the longer the series wore on, the more complain-y she got. the despair really got me. she doesnt believe in herself, so she doesnt act. i hated being inside her head.
Honestly, the only reason I finished this series at all was my love for Six of Crows, otherwise I would've ditched it after the first book. I mean, I do like some characters (especially the Darkling, he was definitely my favorite character along with Nikolai) but the main characters annoyed me *so* much. God, I remember wanting to choke Mal so badly sometimes lmao
this trilogy is leaving me with a lot of mixed feelings,in the first book i actually really liked Alina unlike most but i found in this book , especially in the beginning she really got on my nerves,it felt like the author was focusing more on letting us know what Alina was thinking so much rather than her actually carrying out any of those thoughts.I felt Alina should have been more spontaneous! but i actually really liked Mal too right from the start
I was kinda disappointed when I finished the trilogy because I was expecting more, but if I had a bit lower expectations I think would think these bokks where Okey. Have you read the imortal rules and what did you think?
I found this book boring, like after the rapid fire of the start it just got boring, I have never liked Alina and it just grows here, the darkling was pushed aside and that really affected my enjoyment of it too, Mal to me is meh, like i don't care about him either way. I do like Nikolai though. My least favorite though is the last one, that said I don't remember much of it just the ending and the fact that I really disliked it, not just the ending but the while book and i guess i blocked most of it
im done with the trilogy so im back!!! this is my least favorite of the three so i loved watching your review. Nikolai was the best part of the entire trilogy to me so I can't wait to read King of Scars. By the end of the book I didn't hate Mal but in this book I really disliked him. I think you'd like Six of Crows more (pretty much everyone does lol!) I think Bardugo really improved in those books, including with the action scenes that you mentioned (although the pace is a lot slower than Shadow and Bone) - always such a pleasure to watch your reviews :)
Love your reviews! Have you heard of the Witcher series? If you like fantasy and a good YA female protagonist, I so recommend it. The world building is amazing, and the politics is quite realistically written. One of my favorite fantasy world, also it’s been adapted into a great game series and being adapted into a Netflix show starring Henry Cavill. I would love to know your thoughts on the series
Nikolai is wonderful and will be the protagonist of the new duology so I’m stoked. While this trilogy ends up being kind of whatever, the world is so enticing that I hope you do pick up the Six of Crows duology. Not only does the writing get better but you experience different parts of the world and multiple belief systems and it is a much more nuanced story with s better set of characters
I know i'm late and i probably can't destroy you as you requested and i didn't read this one because the first book didn't convinced me that i should continue the series nor you. Let's see why is still don't like Mal. As i said below your previous review he cared about Alina only after she was taken. Before that he trated her as air despite that they were best friends in the orphanage and they never seperated. Both of them ended up in the army so they easily could remain in contact because they were never far from each other until her powers were discovered. But no, he became popular where they were so he begin to isolate himself from Alina and enjoy the fame. He cared more about sleeping with fangirls instead of try to remain close to a childhood friend(the fact that i hate manwhores not helping either). One of my elementary school friends remained my friend while he became more and more popular, our interesets drifted apart further year by year while i remained myself and he is not even the best person i've ever met not even close. Actually i just can repeat what i said the last time. I hated that he was worrying about her for months but only after she was taken but when he saw her and she was safe and happy instead of being relieved he become jealous because by what right can she be happy without him. Okay i admit he later risked his life for her but risking your life for a loved one not really huge good guy act, it's basic. I heard that he given up everything for her but what did he given up for her? His high school-y fame among fangirls and other not too inteligent people and some not too close friends. I think It's not so much for the life of a "childhood best friend"', in apostrophe in his case. "He is the most human character" okay im not I don't dispute this but i won't like anyone ficional or real just becouse he/she is an ordinary awful person and i usually meet more of this kind of people than decent ones. I'm not saying that it's not understandable but i will never like an abuser just because he/she was abused as well as a child just because i know where did they come from.
I didn’t like Mal, but I certainly don’t understand the amount of contempt that the fandom seems to have for him. To me, he kind of just a Gary Stu with a white bread personality. Honestly, as you said, Alina was the far more detestable character in my opinion
she ruins books for me, but I love how ruthless and how precise she is. she knows how she feels and has like no problem saying it. honestly, her reactions are so funny sometimes (especially the Red Queen, which I hated as much as she did)
I'm loving these reviews! Especially since I'm having a real hard time with trying to decide whether or not to read these books. These sound exactly like something I'd love, as Imperial Russian history is also Finnish and Baltic Sea history and seeing more fantasy based on those would be cool. Still I fear it probably wouldn't work out if this is said to be badly built based on the era and if Six of Crows is tooted as the better one of these series. I didn't like that one at all. I think Bardugo's style of writing is nice, I read SoC, but her style of worldbuilding (full of weird ?? national stereotypes and as a Finn my main issue was clumping celtic people together with finnic and displaying them only as ginger stingy thieves and horse-like whores + describing all Nordic cuisine as disgusting) bothers me. Also THE PACING WAS SO OFF. Every chapter ended with a cliffhanger and started with no repayment. Constant rewind to long and very in-depth but sudden flashbacks made me feel like the present-day plot wasn't even worth it anymore. I liked Matthias as a character a lot so she definitely CAN write lovely characters, but SoC was a huge disappointment for me :( So I don't know whether or not this trilogy is worth it.
Am I not the only one who is not in the Nikolai train? I feel like he is too ideal, that's probably why he is so popular. He is like what everyone wants for a hero that it feels he is too romanticized.
Nikolai >>> everyone and everything in this whole trilogy
Haha that seems to be a popular opinion
also, I'm so glad i subscribed to your channel. Your reviews are so insightful. Usually I find book reviews kinda boring, but yours have structure and aren't all over the place :)
Aww thank you! I'm glad that you enjoy them :)
SameDestination don't forget about Genya
When I tell you he’s exactly my type
It bothered me so much that there are no sieges nor storms in this whatsoever
Faith Murri ooof that’s true, I didn’t even notice that!
@@JordanHarveybooks unrelated but ~aethetic~ title names is like my least favorite trope
Faith Murri hahaha
But there was a siege, the darkling sieges the throne and castle
I think the storm was metaphorical for his army of shadow soldiers
Nikolai Lantsov was the saving grace of this book.
Honestly, I don't understand why Nikolai isn't the protagonist. He's the only one who does anything and makes any decisions
Neji Hyuga now that’s the truth
Good thing he's getting his own duology
It’s because he’s getting his own set called king of scars coming out this month.
@@em.kay21 Yeah, I know. But he wasn't getting anything when this trilogy was being written. And, if I'm not mistaken, the duology will cover the events after the big finale. It would be great to see Grisha trilogy from his perspective, would be much more interesting
@@nejihyuga3101 Hopefully the writers of the show are taking notes.
I don’t mind Mal necessarily, but he’s not compatible with Alina at all romantically. I think the problem with Alina’s inconsistent personality is she is one person for Nikolai and a completely different one for Mal. I found that she doubted herself and wanted to return to who she was in the first book when she was with Mal, but I think Nikolai brings out a much more complex and interesting Alina. I just wish she would stop being so stubborn and let Nikolai guide her into the badass character she could be! I really think that a leader with a complex and intriguing personality is buried deep in her somewhere, and we almost get to see it when she’s with Nikolai! It was so frustrating that she continually tried to be the meek, “I don’t want to be here, I just want to run away and forget my problems” character just for Mal. To watch Mal encourage this behaviour was what I didn’t like about him. Alina needs to move on ASAP, I get that it’s painful but god damn girl let yourself be awesome lol
Nikolai is one of my favourite characters ever, just as a side note
For me I just cannot stand Alina and being in her head sucks...
She didnt vocalize her issues esp to Mal.. and the author has the habit of imputing the Darkling or Nikolai or Zoya at the most unfortunate moments when the two were about to resolve the issues between them.. And to me, it perhaps a reflection of the author herself rather than just this character - cos I have a feeling this is how the author acts in real life - going around in circle and may be - perhaps may be not vocalizing the issues out in the open.
genya and baghra didn't deserve that endings...
Idk man. She raised her son to think that love was fickle, devoid of empathy and very cruel. Now she pays for what she did, or, as the idiom goes « You reap what you sow ».
Genya on the other hand really is a victim of her circumstances and I feel so bad 🥺🥺
Unpopular opinion: I didn't feel sorry for both of them.
*Baghra* for obvious reasons, she is a toxic mom. Baghra's method as a mother is the type of mother who will raise her child to be a serial killer irl but when her child actually kill someone she will start fake crying, publicly, about how she didn't see that coming, and how about she raised him with love that she doesn't know how s/her child turned out to be like that.
I don't feel bad for *Genya* because she acted stupid. She betrayed the darkling in front of his eyes (like ok she wanted to change side COOL!!) but she *STAYED* i'll dare to say she deserved it. The darkling just got fooled, lost the second amplifier to Alina again, lost one of his most loyal soldiers (Ivan) and his other loyal soldier (Genya) just betrayed him so it doesn't take you much thinking to know he will punish her for that. The fact that Alina asked her to leave with them but she said *No* like what did she expect? He will give her a hug?
LB made Genya dumb ( which she wasn't before this event) just to force this narrative: *Look, the darkling is pure evil, look what he did to Genya?*
I absolutely LOVE the Six of Crows duology but this series is.. meh. I’m gonna keep reading because it’s not bad but it’s not fantastic.
I don’t like that Mal and Alina had to fall in love. They should’ve just stayed friends in my opinion. I’m not a fan when two perfectly good friends fall in love.
However, I think the world is absolutely fantastic.
I mean, I get that it can be super annoying when friends fall in love, but I just didn't mind it in this series!
yES SIX OF CROWS AND CROOKED KINGDOM ARE SO FCKING GOOD BUT THEN THERE'S THIS. ALSO SIX OF CROWS AND THE FIRST BOOK OF THIS SERIES ARE GETTING A NETFLIX ADAPTATION.
I hated Mal as a character in this book. Mind you it's been a while since I read it, but if I remember right he's so insecure about his relationship with Alina that he starts making out with his fan girl behind her back. When she catches him in the act he does nothing to defend himself or try to fix his problems with her. Instead he drinks and mopes and outright ignores her rather than guarding her like he was supposed to. It was pathetic and excruciating to read.
sunako718 That’s fair, but I mean, I think that it wasn’t so much him being insecure as Alina pushing him away. What he did wasn’t great but he didn’t know that Alina was there and they really weren’t in a relationship at that point. Idk I don’t think he acted well but I don’t think Alina did either and I at least understood where he was coming from.
@@JordanHarveybooks I agree that Alina didn't act well either. She wasn't the most memorable character, mind you. Mal, for all his poor actions and insecurities, at least had character growth and was memorable. Alina was just there to be pushed around. Which is why I pitied her more than disliked her. In trying to do the best she could for everyone she nearly lost everything including the boy she loves.
sunako718 I mean, I think a lot of the reason why I didn’t like her and why I pitied Mal was because Alina actively pushed him away. That’s why I didn’t really put it on him. She gave no indication that she wanted to continue the relationship. I think they’re both wrong and acted poorly.
I love him for that lol. He's a real human full of flaws. The problem is that Leigh did not develop him well. Mal's entire character screams a good redemption arc that did not happen.
@@JordanHarveybooks the thing that most bothered me about Mal kissing Zoya back is that he knows Zoya has been cruel to Alina. He’s supposedly in love with Alina but he goes and embraces and kisses the girl who has been awful to her.
Side note: your makeup matching the book is A LEWK! 😍
I agree with pretty much everything you said. Nikolai is by far my favourite character. I really don’t like Mal, but more because he is just not developed as a character at all outside of his relationship with Alina. I don’t like him because I don’t know him. He is a forgettable character. My main issue with this whole series is that it all feels really underdeveloped. Like it was written before any real development went into the world, the magic system or the characters. It feels like an unedited first draft. I was so underwhelmed and very surprised because Six of Crows is just so good! I love your reviews, thank you!
Mal is like the biggest miss of Leigh Bardugo. It's nice to see a regular joe who is not totally useless but not overpowered either with real humanistic personal conflicts but did not get a good development. He has the goods for a good character development but he just ended up being Alina's arm candy.
"I liked Mal, I really enjoy him. I didn't often agree with his choices, but I understood him."
Quoting John Truby (Anatomy of Story, chapter 4 Character): "What's really important is that audiences understand the character but not necessarily like everything he does."
And also Mckee (Story, part 7 The Story Substance): "The PROTAGONIST must be empathetic; he may or may not be sympathetic."
I know Mal isn't the main character, but I think that point applies on him the same. And sadly, it seems Alina is hard to empathaize with.
Giving your characters weaknesses (self-doubt, judgemental habits etc.) is an important part in character building. But weaknesses have to be dealt with throughout of the plot. If the character self-doubts herself since the start and all the way through to the end... Then having this weakness is pointless. It serves nothing; It could've been any other weakness since it bears no meaning to the character, the plot, etc. At least that's what I think about when I'm writing a character.
Now I don't feel alone liking Mal
I actually really loved this series for Alina's negative qualities. I thought that her obsession with power was something I had never been able to see used in a protagonist before.
Yesssss!! I love how your makeup matches the book cover
Thank you!!!! :D
I also love Mal! I'm honestly not sure where all the Mal hate comes from. Yeah, he has his flaws, but I feel like the characters in the books recognize them as flaws and try to deal with them. I've read so many YA books that have a very flawed love interest, but rather than trying to deal with the flaws and develop the character the flaws are just there to make them more hot.
So. True.
I love Mal too, but he is also underdeveloped. I kinda see the hate, but I still think it is underdeserved.
Oh, I remember reading part of this, but I couldn't get past how much I disliked Alina. If i'm remembering right, she honestly felt more like the antagonist. And not in the 'Anakin' kind of way, she was just dumb, mean, and selfish. My interest dropped below zero pretty fast.
I liked Mal, I actually felt bad for him trying to deal with Alina haha.
Same aha!
"I love a lot of death in books."
I'm crying. 🤣🤣
I didn't like Mal, but I disliked Alina even more, so... free shrugs. Nikolai and Genya are the only reason I stick around.
Yeah Nikolai and Genya are definitely the MVPs
Makeup on point, per usual. I remember almost dnfing this when Alina started existing wait--
I just finished reading this for the first time today. Highly agree with a lot of the things you've said. Alina is not a likeable protagonist. I feel no connection to or sympathy for her. And because she's so bland, I don't "ship" her with any of three men shown to be into her. At a push, I'd say her relationship with the Darkling is the most interesting because Alina is at her most interesting when she's finding herself similar to/drawn to him (which isn't really saying much).
I don't dislike Mal. But his relationship with Alina frustrates me because, in terms of the writing, it's totally unearned. Bardugo basically introduced Alina in the first book as already being in love with him so there was absolutely zero development between their characters, and yet we're supposed to find their drama and their love compelling. It's cheap writing, to me, and frankly the worst part about the book. I think this series (so far, I haven't read #3 yet) would have been so much better if we actually saw more development between these two characters, since they seem to be the heart of the story.
Also, side note, it annoyed me how they got captured right at the beginning of the book. Like, I started reading book two right after finishing book one and the time between them "escaping" the Darkling and getting recaptured was so small, it was basically pointless. Seriously, the first book could have ended with the bleakness of Alina and Mal still being captured--them fleeing across the sea seemed to serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever.
Will you be reading and reviewing the Six of Crows Duology, too? In my opinion, I LOVED it and it's far better than the Grisha Trilogy.
Yes, I will be!!
starting the year off right with some good ol’ jordan tea- i mean, review
I love how your eyeshadow compliments the book cover
i also never understood how they found the world's most elusive sea serpent in a week and how Alina killed the giant armoured snake, while on a boat. It's in its own element. Her powers are new to her. It just toppled over and gave itself up.
Your channel and The Authentic Reader's one are my favorite booktube channels and the first ones I'm really excited about to see a new video every time! 💕
Aww, thank you! That's very nice of you to say :)
@@JordanHarveybooks Any time, dear! 😊
Jordan Harvey you’re just really always very pretty everytime
Haha thank you!
It's been a few years since I've this series, so I don't remember everything only that when I finally read the first two books in Six of Crows (apparently a third one is coming out at some point) I could tell her writing had improved and the characters in that series were more interesting.
I also like Mal's character. I don't really understand why people hate him as much as they do. Alina was often very wishy-washy when it came to many things and I remember that frustrating me, and I don't know why she is a favorite character for them.
Once again I love your review, the way you speak about the plot and characters is great and they're the only reviews I can watch til the end. I also love Nikolai! His character was very interesting and I love how he carries himself. Also the pacing thing is totally true, the book really hits you with a lot at the beginning. Unfortunately we disagree on Mal but what can you do? Not everyone is gonna have the same opinions. I can't wait to see you're thoughts and Ruin and Rising and Six of Crows!
Glad you enjoyed the video! And don't worry, you're definitely in the majority when it comes to Mal aha
@@JordanHarveybooks Haha I definitely am. I think the fandom more than anything hates Mal because of his relationship with Alina. On his own I still don't find him super interesting but it's not as bad as when he's with Alina you know?
God bless you I like Mal and didn't like Alina either. I felt like Mal's actions were really human and I really understood them. While I just disliked Alina more and more with each page. And bless Nikolai, the best character.
if i'm being honest, i liked mal a lot in this series as well!! he was kind of annoying in some parts, but we actually got to see his flaws and i think he was more layered than a majority of the rest of the characters.
so i just finished reading this book and i can 100% confirm that Nikolai was the only reason i pushed through the book as fast as i did. i'm absolutely in love with him honestly and can NOT wait to read King of Scars!!!
Nikolai is the most charismatic cinnamon roll! Also, SIX OF CROWS. You would LOVE it. The characters are very well done and intriguing, and they are morally grey. :)
"i like mal" instantly liked the video haha
I got the ePubs of the trilogy for sale this summer. I'm looking forward to reading this eventually. Thanks for another year of passionate Cogitating on these stories. Remember, your suffering is not just for us: it is so you don't repeat the mistakes of others. There are just so many darn lessons out there. 🤷♀️🤷♂️
I love your eye shadows XD just fits the colour of the book so well
I just read Siege and Storm and I agree with you wholeheartedly about Mal and Alina and how Mal is literally just trying to fit in and adjust to an environment he had never been in. Alina out of all people should know how that feels.
ughh I read the six of crows duology and fell in love with it, and I want to continue reading the new series, but I havent read the grisha trilogy and i’m not interested in reading it either so i’m cOnFuTiOn
I love how your eyeshadow matches the book cover! Dedication to your work!
Kudos to you for making it this far in the series, I could barely get through the first book. I decided not to put myself through that again, so I'm just watching spoilery reviews to prepare me for King of Scars.
Like the makeup matching the book cover. :-) I love hearing your feedback on books and what works and what doesn't. Great video as always.
I thought the book was awesome and appropriately paced. All the character development made perfect sense. 10/10 would reccomend
I liked Mal too! I found it easier to be sympathetic to him as he was more realistic and down to earth than the majority of characters in the series.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year :)
I so totally agree with you about her writing! It doesn't really improve in her later books, and it's just so meh for me. Like it isn't bad but it's so boring
I would've liked to hear your thoughts on ruin and rising.
I never ended up doing a review, but you can hear my thoughts in the first papercut book club discussion on paperbackdreams channel!
Can't wait till you read six of crows. Leigh Bardugo really grow as a writer :)
I finished siege and storm and I don't like grishaverse. I'm just reading them to get to six of crows bc I've heard it contains my fav tropes but anyway here is my opinion: I totally agree with you when you said we 're told not shown and I think this is everywhere in this book. I think book 2 is slightly better than 1st but still I don't feel anything for any of the characters they're just meh to me lol. Also the grisha world still needs a lot more developing.
(Rest of the comment might contain some spoilers for book 2:)
For example in the 1st book we're told that 1) it's not possible to have more than one amplifier and 2) you can't magically "create" things in grishaverse you can just "summon" them and 3) amplifiers can't be taken from someone as "you own them and they own you" kind of thing, but in the 2nd book all of these rules are broken :/ this might be intentional (though i don't think so) but When such things happen I'd rather there be some kind of forshadowing earlier that discusses the possibility of an exception to the rules of the story or no rules at all, just not making and breaking them after.
This is why I think grishaverse is underdeveloped and anything can happen.
I just finished reading it, and I wasn’t too huge a fan. But I LOVE Six of Crows and it’s crazy seeing the difference in Leigh Bardugo’s writing between this series and that duology.
I feel like characters had more depth in this book than in Shadow and Bone, but that didn’t necessarily make me like them. The only people I liked were Nikolai, Feydor, and Sergei. I know Sergei was kind of a jerk but he was one of the only people whose motivations were clear (aside from Nikolai of course)
you’re gonna love the SOC duology and King of Scars. The writing is SO much better and we see a lot more of the different countries from that world! if you love death you’re gonna LOVE Kaz, our beautiful antihero💚
I love this analytical review. It really gives me an idea of what these books are actually about, so I can better judge whether to read them or not.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Where are you at in the readalong? I have probably couple hours more of reading for six of crows. I know I'm behind but the live isn't on yet so I guess it's ok lol
I failed the readathon miserably aha! I'm still on SOC too
I do agree about Mal. He's a good boy.
I don’t know why everyone hates Mail. Thanks for not ripping him a new one
let's be honest is because of shipping for most...
I like before I hit play. Excited to watch this vid I always love your videos! I try to comment as much as I can but I never actually said how much I admire your work, your reviews are always so in-depth and intelligent and you're honestly the first person I go to on Booktube for insightful perspectives on fiction and such. I wish you luck getting through the rest of the Grisha novels, I was gonna do the readathon but I kinda just...didn't. lol.
Oh my gosh, thank you so much!! That's really kind of you to say
I don’t makeup, but I love how your eye color looks especially next to that book:)
currently reading shadow and bone and im so excited about this trilogy! i'll have to come back to watch your review later :)
I agree with all of the things you said. And I love Mal too... I don't know why people hate him, really. But Alina... I don't understand her at all. She, as you said sucks. (And I will not read the last book... the Six of Crows spoiled the end, so :/)
마나미의 잊혀진 멜로디1 you should read the next book, trust me
I read six of crows before the shadow and bone series and I didn’t think it spoiled anything, so personally I would suggest still reading the book, I thought it was a good conclusion!
@@BreeBuonomo Well, I read the grisha trilogy first (just the first 2 books, because in my country only that 2 were published at that time, and I preferred to read it in my mother language, so I decided I'll wait for the 3rd one. But I missed the world sooo I wanted to try the SoC. Ppl said that the Six of Crows won't spoil anything, so I picked it up, but in book it is said that Alina... well, I can't write it down here, because I feel like it's a spoiler. (Not about how things will happed, or about the end game, just about Alina's fate). So I don't know. Maybe that's just a misunderstanding. Maybe I'll try, thank you. :)
@@maliszkon Maybe I'll try! Thank you. :) :)
Ohhhh I think I know where you’re going and I definitely think you should read the third one now!! I think you might be surprised 🙂
Hope you have a great new year. :)
Thank you! You too :)
Surprisingly, Siege and Storm ended up being my favorite from this trilogy because I liked that the Darkling and his relationship/dynamic with Alina was fleshed out more in this book. Also, I liked that we got to see how the rest of the world differs from Ravka through Mal and Alina's quest in the first act.
Obviously, I did have issues with it like Mal and Alina's constant fighting, how the pacing went from being really fast in the first act to being really slow for the rest of the book until the ending, and the Darkling acting creepy at times.
Ruin and Rising would've ended up as my favorite of the trilogy if it weren't for the ending. After reading Rule of Wolves though, the outcome of the third book makes more sense so I'm probably going to have to re-read the trilogy to see if I change my opinion about it.
This is an old video but I had to leave a comment because my goodness, you expressed what I felt about the book way better than I could! haha
I had a hard time with it (thankfully the audiobook made it way easier to digest) and you perfectly explained why. I truly like the magic and I'm curious about the plot, but Alina's headspace makes it so hard to get truly invested. I understood her in the first book, so I was excited to keep reading regardless, but this one was kinda exhausting. I might be in the minority when I say I'm not a huge fan of Nikolai, but he was the angel this book needed, because if we didn't get any comedic relief, I don't know if I could've pushed through. Alina is too pessimistc and not at all driven, I haven't seen such a passive MC in a long time. Anyway, we have very very similar opinions on this, I just really had to scream about it for a moment. Great review!!
I'm writing this fantasy book that happens in an Eastern-European inspired world, because I come from one of its countries, and seeing books written by non-native writers messing it up really annoys me. Especially that they're taking away the novelty effect from people that would probably do it better.
Everyone is ranting about Mal saying he was selfish and rude to Alina, but the only reason I hate Mal is because he's boring, LOL. I think he's mundane and irrelevant, and for the entirety of Siege and Storm, I was just wondering why the f**** he was still in the story. It's a personal thing for me to find the noble-and-heroic-cool-guy-with-anger-issues to be boring and old. We've seen that personality type billion times before, especially in YA. He honestly gives me HEAVY Adam vibes from the Shatter Me series (and I hated Adam, too). GOD, MAL IS JUST SO BORING. I think Nikolai and the Darkling overshadow him COMPLETELY (no pun intended).
I found that each romantic moment him and Alina shared was boring. I felt nothing for them and I did not once root for their relationship. NOT ONCE. Their relationship was childish, very high school-y which was also boring. It honestly astonished me how he was the love interest “in the lead” the entire time.
Mal was insecure and unreasonable. Toxic and angry. I have never met a character that made me scream into my pillow more times than Mal had just for existing. Oh, and did I mention that he bores me to goddamn tears?
I know i'm late, but THANK YOU. You just said my thoughts exactly 6 months ago. (I didn't read the sequel, the first on was too bad to continue for me)
Hey Jordan, any chance I could write a video essay for your channel? I'd seriously think about doing it myself, but the only decent microphone I had broke and I'm... also broke. I figure I could write it, and if you thought it was a good fit you could adopt it. If not then it's no skin off my teeth. I just think it would be fun.
I couldn't agree more with many of the points you made in this video and in the other.
I hated Mal in the first book. To me he just seemed like a love-sick puppy for the last third of the book. He definitely developed more in this book. I, personally, still don't like him but like you, I understand where he's coming from and I'm able to tolerate him better. I understand how he feels with being left out in his best friend's life and everything. I just don't like how he kept on going back to her and attempting to make her to go with what he wants her to do instead of making her think for herself.
Alina I cannot stand whatsoever. To me, she's such a flimsy character with no will or goal of her own. Everything she does, she does because someone else told her. I feel like she's a very flat character with no real character growth. You could put Mal in her place as the protagonist and it'd be a lot more interesting story. Or Nikolai. Or the Darkling.
The thing that shocked me about this book is the fact that Alina had unknowingly slept with the Darkling, who wore Mals face. Looking back to the first book when the Darkling was cruelly asking Alina about the fact how she was willing to give herself to him right in front of Mal after the stag was killed. Flash forward to book two, I was like: Yeah, Alina has unknowingly made her bed with the enemy. That aside, Nikolai was the character who saved the rest of the trilogy. And it brings a smile that he won one you over, thus making him the fan favorite to me and everyone else who has read the trilogy.
Alexandria Ceballos they didn’t sleep together, that’s not what I remember. They just started kissing and then he revealed himself
Sophia Writes Odd, when I read it, it felt like the author was going through that angle. But oh well.
HIIII so I watched the show and then I was like “oh interesting, perhaps the book is better” so I read the first book and was a bit disappointed! Now i’m reading the second one and I am halfway through it, and I definitely feel like I need to finish it but I do not like Alina, or Mal, and I get what you said about Nikolai/Stormhold being intriguing… but it all seems very forced! I want to read the book to hmget more details and understand how the characters are feeling! But it seems to me that she writes as if she’s describing a movie she’s watching and so much essence gets lost
And lowkey what keeps me going is that people say six of crows is worth the first books of the grisha! But here I am watching a review to see if I’m inspired to keep on going
I stopped right after they get back to the little palace! YOU SAYING IT GETS BETTER IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED
Happy new year!
Ramieverse ! To you too!!
I read the first book and half of the second and felt like everything was just going to fast for me. So I put it down and didn't pick up again. Btw, I always love your book reviews :D
Thanks so much :)
These reviews make my day!
Ahh I'm glad! Enjoy :)
@@JordanHarveybooks Like these really help me with writing my own book!
Will you be reading the two that come after this trilogy?
ummmm I don't think you'll find the final book mind blowing.😐
Okay, so my comment this time will not be as long as the one I left on your Shadow and Bone review, but I do want to say that this trilogy (in my opinion) is better the second time because you are able to pick up on small details and clues that are scattered throughout the books that have huge repercussions or payoffs in Ruin and Rising. Once again I will say that I enjoyed Alina as a protagonist and getting to see her internal struggle with power and everything going on around her. I found her to be a very relatable protagonist because people don't always know what they want and they are not prepared for every outcome.
The writing in these books is very good and there are some individual quotes that just give me chills.
To everyone saying that Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are better written or just better overall, I think you have to take into account the differences between the stories: one is a trilogy that is written from first person POV and centers around some major events, and the other is a heist story written from multiple perspectives (completely different characters) that centers around one city (for the most part).
A quick note to your pacing comment: I think the emotions that the reader feels (a lot happening at once and then finally a chance to breath) beautifully mirrors what Alina is felling - she has very little say in what's happening at first and once she is able to make a choice she makes a big choice and tries to take back control of her life. Leigh Bardugo explains what needs to be explained and does not linger - everything she writes has a purpose.
9:05 I'm pretty sure Nikolai is 100% on board for Tolya and Tamar to protect Alina because he needs her kept safe and he trusts them to do it - she did not steal them.
Sorry this really wasn't that short...
honestly i feel like mal could have been very interesting but he didn't have the immediately recognizable charm of either nikolai or the darkling, so it would have taken more development to show, which didn't happen.
also, i think that since alina sucks it makes most of her relationships kind of suck, too. i liked alina in the first book even if she wasnt super active-- she seemed sharp and i thought her hesitance seemed realistic-- but the longer the series wore on, the more complain-y she got. the despair really got me. she doesnt believe in herself, so she doesnt act. i hated being inside her head.
just love your eyeshadow.
I love when you upload ^^ your so intelligent and go in depth i love it ❤
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy the video :)
Honestly, the only reason I finished this series at all was my love for Six of Crows, otherwise I would've ditched it after the first book. I mean, I do like some characters (especially the Darkling, he was definitely my favorite character along with Nikolai) but the main characters annoyed me *so* much. God, I remember wanting to choke Mal so badly sometimes lmao
I never thought we’d see eye to eye on a series but I’m glad if it had to be any series it was this absolute tragedy of a series.
I felt the pacing was an issue with the first book as well.
this trilogy is leaving me with a lot of mixed feelings,in the first book i actually really liked Alina unlike most but i found in this book , especially in the beginning she really got on my nerves,it felt like the author was focusing more on letting us know what Alina was thinking so much rather than her actually carrying out any of those thoughts.I felt Alina should have been more spontaneous! but i actually really liked Mal too right from the start
I was kinda disappointed when I finished the trilogy because I was expecting more, but if I had a bit lower expectations I think would think these bokks where Okey.
Have you read the imortal rules and what did you think?
I haven't read the immortal rules!
Would recommend, has really interesting characters like the Legend trilogy
Happy New Year
Happy New Year :)
I am wait.ing for the Ruin and Rising video because I have words.
Cyrilla Sama Working on it
I found this book boring, like after the rapid fire of the start it just got boring, I have never liked Alina and it just grows here, the darkling was pushed aside and that really affected my enjoyment of it too, Mal to me is meh, like i don't care about him either way. I do like Nikolai though. My least favorite though is the last one, that said I don't remember much of it just the ending and the fact that I really disliked it, not just the ending but the while book and i guess i blocked most of it
Yikes
im done with the trilogy so im back!!! this is my least favorite of the three so i loved watching your review. Nikolai was the best part of the entire trilogy to me so I can't wait to read King of Scars. By the end of the book I didn't hate Mal but in this book I really disliked him. I think you'd like Six of Crows more (pretty much everyone does lol!) I think Bardugo really improved in those books, including with the action scenes that you mentioned (although the pace is a lot slower than Shadow and Bone) - always such a pleasure to watch your reviews :)
Alina and Nikolai fighting over tamar and tolya would have been like Taylor's and Katy's fight over back up dancers. Lol
This book suffered from a not great first book and the middle book syndrome of the whole second book sets up for the third one.
Love your reviews! Have you heard of the Witcher series? If you like fantasy and a good YA female protagonist, I so recommend it. The world building is amazing, and the politics is quite realistically written. One of my favorite fantasy world, also it’s been adapted into a great game series and being adapted into a Netflix show starring Henry Cavill. I would love to know your thoughts on the series
Nikolai is wonderful and will be the protagonist of the new duology so I’m stoked. While this trilogy ends up being kind of whatever, the world is so enticing that I hope you do pick up the Six of Crows duology. Not only does the writing get better but you experience different parts of the world and multiple belief systems and it is a much more nuanced story with s better set of characters
I know i'm late and i probably can't destroy you as you requested and i didn't read this one because the first book didn't convinced me that i should continue the series nor you.
Let's see why is still don't like Mal. As i said below your previous review he cared about Alina only after she was taken. Before that he trated her as air despite that they were best friends in the orphanage and they never seperated. Both of them ended up in the army so they easily could remain in contact because they were never far from each other until her powers were discovered. But no, he became popular where they were so he begin to isolate himself from Alina and enjoy the fame. He cared more about sleeping with fangirls instead of try to remain close to a childhood friend(the fact that i hate manwhores not helping either). One of my elementary school friends remained my friend while he became more and more popular, our interesets drifted apart further year by year while i remained myself and he is not even the best person i've ever met not even close. Actually i just can repeat what i said the last time. I hated that he was worrying about her for months but only after she was taken but when he saw her and she was safe and happy instead of being relieved he become jealous because by what right can she be happy without him. Okay i admit he later risked his life for her but risking your life for a loved one not really huge good guy act, it's basic. I heard that he given up everything for her but what did he given up for her? His high school-y fame among fangirls and other not too inteligent people and some not too close friends. I think It's not so much for the life of a "childhood best friend"', in apostrophe in his case.
"He is the most human character" okay im not I don't dispute this but i won't like anyone ficional or real just becouse he/she is an ordinary awful person and i usually meet more of this kind of people than decent ones. I'm not saying that it's not understandable but i will never like an abuser just because he/she was abused as well as a child just because i know where did they come from.
The fact that Mal is in love with Alina at all seems to be enough for me to chuck him into the bin.
I didn’t like Mal, but I certainly don’t understand the amount of contempt that the fandom seems to have for him. To me, he kind of just a Gary Stu with a white bread personality. Honestly, as you said, Alina was the far more detestable character in my opinion
Yeah, that's fair!
Your thumbnails give me life lmao
hahah thank you
she ruins books for me, but I love how ruthless and how precise she is. she knows how she feels and has like no problem saying it. honestly, her reactions are so funny sometimes (especially the Red Queen, which I hated as much as she did)
I'm loving these reviews! Especially since I'm having a real hard time with trying to decide whether or not to read these books. These sound exactly like something I'd love, as Imperial Russian history is also Finnish and Baltic Sea history and seeing more fantasy based on those would be cool. Still I fear it probably wouldn't work out if this is said to be badly built based on the era and if Six of Crows is tooted as the better one of these series. I didn't like that one at all.
I think Bardugo's style of writing is nice, I read SoC, but her style of worldbuilding (full of weird ?? national stereotypes and as a Finn my main issue was clumping celtic people together with finnic and displaying them only as ginger stingy thieves and horse-like whores + describing all Nordic cuisine as disgusting) bothers me. Also THE PACING WAS SO OFF. Every chapter ended with a cliffhanger and started with no repayment. Constant rewind to long and very in-depth but sudden flashbacks made me feel like the present-day plot wasn't even worth it anymore.
I liked Matthias as a character a lot so she definitely CAN write lovely characters, but SoC was a huge disappointment for me :( So I don't know whether or not this trilogy is worth it.
check out the book The Last Moondancer
Woah You actually like Mal? I really don’t like him sis
Lots of love from Italy. I adore your videos!
However, this book is the worst of the three in my opinion. The trilogy is nice, but it has several flaws and lacks something.
Me: :(
You: I like Mal.
Me: :)
Honestly, he gets a lot of shit just bc he isn't Darkling,,,
Am I not the only one who is not in the Nikolai train? I feel like he is too ideal, that's probably why he is so popular. He is like what everyone wants for a hero that it feels he is too romanticized.
I disagree with you in a lot of things
read siege
Have some people developed an allergy to the word "no" that I'm not aware of...?
but it isn't Russia. It is a fantasy world.