LATE TO THE PARTY: Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone Summary (taken from Goodreads)…

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Add the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo to your Goodreads!

Ohhhh heeey there! It took me forever to get to this series and now I am so sad that it is over! This initially started as a buddy read with Shadow and Bone, but I became hooked and was convinced that this is a series you should binge (AND OH MY GOSH YOU DO NEED TO BINGE THIS ONE GUYS!). You probably want to know what my initial reactions were after finishing this series:

Basically this series is everything I ever wanted. It was a trilogy I needed. I think the last trilogy I was super into was the Scarlet series by AC Gaughen. Yes, these are very different (I mean the genres are even different) but the fact that you only commit to 3 books is pretty awesome, and this one was just as addictive as Scarlet.

So, what did I love about this series….

• Each book continued to get more awesome: I have heard people talk about the middle book syndrome (which I assume is similar to middle child syndrome…whooo for being the oldest!). And sometimes I find that I love the first book or two and then am super let down by the final book. That didn’t happen with this trilogy. I was more hooked with each and every book, which I didn’t think was possible. I can’t even begin to describe just how awesome it is to read a series that continues to get better and ends with a bang!
• Alina was fantastic: I wasn’t so sure about her at first because she was so scared of everything. She whined a lot about not knowing her place in the world, but eventually really came into her own. I loved watching her grow and develop as she continued to discover more about herself and as she realized that she is important. Yes, she made some questionable choices, but I think that we all if we were in her situation. I loved the person she became in the end.
• Each book added awesome characters: Yes, there were characters that had me raging and whatnot, but there were also characters that I found I really enjoyed. Each book came with a batch of people that just made sense. I laughed with them, I cheered for them, I mourned the lost lives (yes, people die in this trilogy…it happens I guess). I was always excited to see what (and who) each new book would bring.
• Romance was…<3: The romance was crazy. It would have me crying tears of joy one minute and then tears of betrayal the next. It was a romance that I routed for right away. I just knew it had to be, and did they ever toy with my emotions. It wasn’t just them being dramatic (though sometimes it was) but it was them reacting to actual situations and trying to make decisions so that no one got hurt. They broke me over and over again, and yet I continued to sail this ship.
• ACTION, ADVENTURE, TWISTS: The plot to this story just moved so well. I was hooked and had to know what happened. I was taken by surprise at many of the plot twist (and definitely texted a friend of mine that has read this series for one of the big twists in Ruin and Rising because I had to make sure I read it right). I just had so many moments where I stopped and yelled “ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW IS THIS FOR REAL!?” and then went back about my business. I just….like the plot had me shaking and sobbing at one point. I was seriously super into this triology. And I was soooooooo happy with how it ended (even if it came with some shakes and tears).

I honestly don’t know what else to say about this. I LOVE THE GRISHA TRILOGY! I can’t think of anything that I don’t like about it. I mean, I guess I don’t totally understand everyone’s attraction to the Darkling, but oh well. I am so glad I was told to binge it, and I am so excited to dive into more by this author.

I may be late to the Grisha hype, but I am SO here for this now! Better late than never.