Ruin and Rising (Bardugo)

Ruin and Rising  (Grisha Trilogy, 3)
Leigh Bardugo, 2014
Henry Holt & Co.
464 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780805094619


Summary
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 thrilling final installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy. The first is Shadow and Bone (2012), and the second is Seige and Storm (2013). (From the publisher.)

Read an excerpt.

Author Bio
• Birth—1975
• Where—Jerusalem, Israel
• Education—B.A., Yale University
• Currently—lives in Hollywood, California, USA


Leigh Bardugo is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Shadow and Bone (2012) and Siege and Storm (2013). Ruin and Rising (2014) is the third installment in her Grisha Trilogy. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. She has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently, makeup and special effects. These days, she’s lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band. (From the author's website .)

Book Reviews
(Starred review.) [T]he characters are perfectly imperfect; they question themselves, take risks, and make plenty of mistakes. While The Darkling is a little too similar to Harry Potter's Voldemort, he is still a delicious combination of evil, cunning, and manipulation. Fans of the first two books will not be disappointed. (Gr 8 & up.) —Leigh Collazo, Ed Willkie Middle School, Fort Worth, TX
School Library Journal


Readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough to the conclusion that will generate much discussion.
Booklist


(Starred review.)Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy comes to a thunderous conclusion. If opener Shadow and Bone (2012) was a magical coming-of-age story and middle-volume Siege and Storm (2013) was a political thriller, then this third book is an epic quest.... Every time readers may think she’s written herself into a corner, Bardugo pulls off a twist that, while surprising, will keep them turning pages furiously. Triumphant. (13 and up.)
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. The connection between Alina and the Darkling has changed in Ruin and Rising. How? Why? What does this change mean for each of them and how does it affect the events of the book?

2. Genya undergoes a big physical transformation throughout the series. How does her personality change too? What does Genya mean when she says, “I am not ruined. I’m ruination”?

3. What does the Apparat want from Alina? What methods does he use to try to manipulate her? How does she manipulate him?

4. What motives might the Darkling have for telling Alina his real name? How does she use this knowledge?

5. Alina says that David’s crime is a hunger for knowledge, not power. How does David’s way of thinking help and hurt Alina’s cause? How is David different from Morozova, and how is he the same?

6. Nikolai and Alina are allies. What are his reasons for wanting to marry her? How does she feel about those reasons and the idea of being his queen?

7. Why does Baghra decide to tell Alina the story of her childhood? How does it help Alina? What part of the story does Alina misinterpret and why do you think she makes this mistake?

8. Alina and Zoya start out as enemies. How does their relationship change? Why does Alina choose Zoya to be one of the people to lead the Grisha at the end of the story?

9. What happens to Alina’s power at the end of the book? Why? How does this affect her future and her understanding of her past? Why does Harshaw choose to fight on?

10. Alina’s side? Why do Tolya and Tamar stay loyal to her? What are the motives of some of her other allies? 

11. What are the Darkling’s strengths as a leader? Why do people choose to follow him? Why does Sergei make the choice that he does?

12. Alina and Mal have a long history together. How does this infl uence their friendship? Their romance? How does it make their relationship stronger? How does it hold them back?

13. Why does the Darkling choose to punish Nikolai the way that he does? How does Nikolai’s transformation affect him, both physically and mentally, by the end of the book?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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