Ruin and Rising: Chapter 1

by Leigh Bardugo

Download the first chapter of Ruin and Rising, the highly anticipated conclusion to the Grisha Trilogy!

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

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

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction--and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she's fighting for.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2014

About the author

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University. For information on new releases and appearances, sign up for her newsletter.

She would be delighted if you visited her at LeighBardugo.com and fairly giddy if you liked her selfies on Instagram.

Reviews

[Vibha Hegde]

I did a mistake. I read six of crows before this and this pales in comparison to that book by the same author. Otherwise this is a really good book, worth a read

[kacey❦]

I thought this book wrapped up the trilogy nicely. This was definitely the best book of the 3 and I enjoy seeing multiple characters. Nikolai def carried the series on his back, but I am happy with the ending. An unpopular opinion I have is I like Mal, and think that Alina got too much a god complex through the whole thing to where she got what she deserved tbh. I am super intrigued to watch the Netflix series now.

[Zimmy W]

Phew, okay this book is starting stronger than Siege and Storm, thank goodness.

[Kevin]

Not sure where the high reviews came from. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the steam punk Russian fairy tale. But the magic wasn’t really a new concept and I really never got connected with the characters. I actually think this should have been a longer novel.

[Cara]

A very fitting end. Leigh Bardugo found the perfect balance between a happy ending and a tragic saint. This wrapped up Alina's story so well and I am shocked by how it ended but so deeply satisfied with it. What a beautiful way to finish off this tale.

[Jess Schagberg]

A thrilling conclusion. Was it exactly how I wanted it to end? No, but with an author who has already based books out of the same universe, it's not out of the realm we can see some of our favorites appear once more.

[Gabriela Diradour]

THIS WAS INCREDIBLE! Heartbreaking but the perfect ending. 11/10 would recommend this series

[Aleksandra]

i think i read 3 chapters, then gave up and read a summary of events. moving on now
(added this for better end of the year page count accuracy)

[Danielle]

just love it. I cried at the end. I really truly wish that thier was a conversation between them or something more personal then a forshadowing of thier life together.

[maya]

It was okay I guess.

[Arielle Van Deusen]

I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and didn’t really tie things up completely.

[Rebecca]

This book is filled with mystery, magic, faith and true friendship which overcomes greed and hateful superstition. Definitely a riveting read.
The very last chapter is a letdown considering the wonderful exciting events throughout the book.

[Ampersand Inc.]

A fantastic conclusion to the series, even if it didn’t end the way I thought it probably would.

[Teri Pastorino]

not sure how I missed this having read the rest of the series.....liked it

[BRENDA B]

Something about Alina did not sit well with me. I fussed with her through the book. Mal was too good for her. I just finished it so I'm still trying to process it.

[Ash]

Good series i would recomend to people

[Jasmine]

This book broke me! It had a great ending and it'll always have a place in my heart!!

[Anne]

I thought this was the best book. It had a good plot and it was a good end of the series.

[Kim Schumacher]

It's definitely not the ending that was expected but even more fitting to the story.

[Smarty]

I was so afraid that someone could die in this third book that it took me four months to finish it...

[Scott Smith]

I enjoy this one . It wasn't near as good as the second one, but I liked it.

[Teri Savell]

I had taken a break between the second and this book. So at first I had to remember certain people, although it didn’t take too long to be pulled back in. Honestly I keep picturing Ben Barnes as the Darkling and I would not have been as strong as Alina. However, I am really happy with how beautifully it ended. So fitting for the circle to be complete.

[Emily Markham-Bogle]

Good ending, kind of predictable, but a good story.

[Amanda Page]

Soft dnf

[Rainier Reynolds]

This book is just....... YES............ Just yes.........

[jacqueline]

a very solid finale to the shadow and bone trilogy. i laughed, i cried, and i was fairly satisfied with the ending. nikolai, zoya, tolya and tamar have my heart !!!

[Ted]

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!!!

I really really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, and I was excited for this one (I’d been trying to get my hands on it at my local libraries for ages but it was always taken!), so the moment I saw it sitting there, I lunged for it and started reading….

I wanted more from the Darkling. He was a complex and complicated little misfit and I saw him having some sort of redemption arc and friendship with Alina that was more than just power.

I’m going to be honest here…. I didn’t really like Alina and Amal together. He didn’t want her when she was “ugly and scrawny”, he says he did but nope I don’t think so. I think they were best friends and had a trauma bond from their childhood and then the events that followed strengthened that. They felt forced. And I didn’t ship them together at all. Even when Emma fe finally came, it was… anticlimactic and felt boring for them and for the reader.

Now. Nikolai, I loved him! He was complicated and had layers to his character, he was funny, witty, charming, calculated and handsome. He was strong and determined and not going to stand for his fathers bs. He was what made this book for me!!

If Alina wasn’t so boring, and I think that would have happened if she’d ended up with Nikolai (he had the potential to bring the best out of her), they would have been a good match.

I HATE that it was so simple to kill the Darkling and that Alina lost her powers.

The ending made me see the first two books different too… in the first one she was too “ugly” for Mal, in the second she was too “different” and in the last one she was too “powerful” and had to be dimmed down for him. Ew.

I love the style of writing and the background characters (Hardhaw and Genya are faves), but the story becoming just about Alina and Mal and that wasn’t what I wanted.

[Margaux]

I enjoyed this book. I kept on turning the pages and was shocked by the different twist. Although I had a hard time following the book I do think this was a perfect way to end the book. However I was still disappointed by the ending just because I would have wished something more for each of the characters than a bittersweet ending.

[Zuha]

what can I say.....
I loved every character in this book
it was very unique I have been marathoning Leigh berdugo's books
Now , I am going to start six of crows
thank you Leigh berdugo for this beautiful trilogy

[Jessica]

This is awesome, the Apparat is a slimy weasel.