eastern european fantasy

This sequel to Shadow and Bone takes all of the high adventure and dark drama of the first book and cranks it up to 11. The story starts off quietly for a chapter or two and then suddenly kicks the reader into a fast-paced, slam-bang, snarktastic rollercoaster ride that doesn't let up until the end of the novel. And the end...my heart was pounding and I was left breathless by the end of the book.

After the frantic ending of the first book, Siege and Storm opens with Alina and Mal on the run from the Darkling. Alina and Mal are very devoted to each other, but that doesn't stop them from

I love a good fantasy story, full of high adventure, mystery, intrigue, romance, and strange magic. For a long time, a lot of fantasy worlds, influenced by Tolkien's Middle-earth, have been based on a romanticized version of medieval Western Europe. Which is fine, I love me some Tolkien, but I've been wanting to branch out to other fantasy lately, fantasy that's less Tolkienesque. Someone recommended Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy, set in a world that's like a magical version of Tsarist Russia, and since a lot of my ancestors came from Russia, I dove into the first book, Shadow and Bone.

Alin