Rating - ⭐⭐⭐1/2
"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."
Ruin and Rising is the the final installment in Leigh Bardugo's YA fantasy series The Shadow and Bone Trilogy.
So, the conclusion to this trilogy solidifies it as just an okay series for me.
I felt like Alina's character was all over the place especially when it came to the love square (was not a fan of that). Baghra, Nikolai and Zoya were the best characters as they actually had good stable personalities. I was not a fan of the twist near the end and the ending itself was anticlimactic especially since everything happened too quickly. The final battle was not drawn out enough for it to have any impact.
This series had a lot of potential but it did not fulfill it. Hopefully, I find King of Scars better because it follows characters I actually like.
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