PLOT & PACING
Where Shadow & Bone felt tight and engaging, Siege & Storm often drags. The addition of sea voyages and new settings could have expanded the story’s scope, but instead the pacing wobbles—oscillating between bursts of excitement and long stretches of slow-moving political maneuvering.

CHARACTER & VOICE
Alina continues to shoulder the narrative, but her arc doesn’t deepen in a satisfying way. Many supporting players fade into the background—except for Sturmhond. The roguish privateer is sharp, funny, and impossible not to root for. He feels alive on the page, injecting energy into an otherwise uneven cast. Without him, the book might have sunk. The Darkling, while still compelling, is pushed too far into the background, leaving the story without its most magnetic force.

STYLE & ATMOSPHERE
Bardugo’s prose is still clean and readable, with a knack for atmosphere. The settings—storm-tossed seas, palaces, battlefields—fit the story’s scope, and the Grishaverse remains one of the series’ biggest strengths. The problem isn’t the world, but the way the plot meanders through it.

THEMES & DEPTH
Themes of identity, power, and sacrifice are still present, but the execution feels thinner this time around. Instead of digging deeper, the story circles the same ground, without offering new insights that resonate.

PERSONAL TAKE
I didn’t love this one. The world is still fascinating, but the story and characters didn’t pull me in the same way as the first book. Sturmhond kept me turning the pages—he was the anchor in a story that often drifted off course. By the time I finished Siege & Storm, I needed a break from fantasy altogether—and I haven’t yet finished the trilogy. Maybe one day.