Henry Holt & Company Siege and Storm

Llego a tiempo, en buenas condiciones, una de las esquinas está un poco maltratada. La edición es hermosa y es un libro muy bueno.

"All that light, all that power. I want it all." ~ Alina StarkovThe Sun Summoner. Now on the run from The Darkling and his Grisha, Alina finds herself in a foreign land, growing physically weaker and more frustrated from being unable to use her power, lest she and Mal be detected. She feels useless and uncertain of the future, and deeply guilty for the part she played in the grisly incident on The Fold. Since being bound to Morozova's Collar, something within Alina has shifted irrevocably, and she feels herself drawn toward a destiny that part of her wants nothing to do with, but that another, darker part of her craves.Forced back to Ravka with Mal, Alina is compelled to right the wrong she was made to be a part of, to defeat the Darkling and destroy The Shadow Fold. To do this means accepting a position of leadership she's uncomfortable with, and one that she's acclimating to far too easily for her liking - a position that places her in danger and a position where she could either save Ravka or become it's undoing. For though she tries her best to suppress it, there's a growing part of her that's drawn to power and darkness.Alina has come a long way from the lonely girl she once was when she was a mediocre and unremarkable cartographer in the King's Army. Gone is her naivete and her innocence. She's seen darkness and what it's capable of. She's seen the destruction a lust for power can wreak. While I wouldn't call her jaded, she's been used and manipulated because of her powers, and as a result she's not as trusting; she's more wary, she's more mature. She's more capable, fiercer, and stronger. Alina is, however, still lonely - unable to trust or unable to burden those closest to her. Caught up in a web of political maneuverings, ambitions, lies and secrets, she's learning to mask her fears and weaknesses, playing at diplomacy. Although, diplomacy only goes so far when restraining Alina's sharp wit and firm opinions. Her common roots give her an interesting perspective on royal life and bureaucracy, and she often loses patience with the pretense and posturing. She's tired of being viewed as a pawn, the political ace-up-someone's-sleeve, and she's ready to start making her own moves."It's never easy with us, is it?" ~ Mal OretsevThe Tracker. Mal sacrificed a great deal to save the girl he loves, getting them away from Ravka where they hope to live in peace away from the Darkling. But fate has other plans, and it's impossible to ignore that Alina is changing before his eyes, becoming less and less the girl he once knew. When they unexpectedly end up back on Ravkan soil, Alina's direction and purpose seem undeniable, but Mal flounders and struggles to find his place within their new circumstances, leaving him to wonder if Alina's been set on a course he cannot follow." I was meant to rule. It can be no other way." ~ The DarklingThe Darkling. The encounter between he and Alina in The Shadow Fold has irrevocably altered him as well. The Darkling's power is growing as is his hunger for it, and for Alina. Like calls to like, as he's so fond of reminding Alina, and he will stop at nothing to claim her, her power, and the Ravkan throne.The Darkling is truly one of the most intriguing villains I've read in a long while. There is just something so... irresistible about him even though he's just so mired in darkness, even though he's done things that are horrible and unforgivable. I wouldn't call him a sympathetic villain. "Multi-layered" would probably be a better description, and despite the things he's done in Shadow and Bone and what occurs in Siege and Storm, a little part of me can't help but hope that Baghra is right, and that he's not yet "beyond redemption." "I tend to be overfond of risk." ~ SturmhondThe Clever Fox. Always two steps ahead with a Plan B and a clever, perfectly-delivered one-liner that's sure to catch his opponents off-guard, Sturmhond is, put simply: absolutely (frustratingly) delightful. A brigand, a privateer, Sturmhond commands a crew of mercenaries who terrorize True Sea. He's incredibly complex, perpetually unruffled, perfectly evasive, endearingly infuriating, infinitely charming, chronically untrustworthy and completely incapable of answering a direct question. One can never be quite sure where one stands in his game, or what game he's playing. However, one thing's always certain, he is playing at something and he always has some angle. Sturmhond's a compelling mix of sincerity, honor and compassion coupled with ambition, cunning and ruthlessness, and easily rivals the Darkling as my favorite character in this series.World. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. In this series, Bardugo has crafted a world that's vivid, luscious and rich with depth, volume and weight. It's all in her attention to detail, saturating the story with it; never forcing or overwhelming, but rather effortlessly weaving it in and throughout her story and around her characters. From a pungent, filthy whaling boat heaving across choppy waves to dusty scraps of civilization populated by the weary and worn citizens of Ravka, to the elaborate artistry and opulence of the Little Palace, to various customs, histories, stories, magic, and unique cultural details - it's all worked together beautifully into the larger, cohesive tapestry of this spellbinding world.Story. This is art. Truly. Lovely prose, perfect pacing, striking imagery, powerful and clever dialogue, gut-wrenching conflict - it's everything I love about storytelling in one gorgeously (soon-to-be) dust-jacketed package. Every line, even the ones that took the story and characters in amazing, but difficult, directions is fantastic; every word artfully handpicked to create something amazing. Have you ever had that feeling when reading a book? That "This!" feeling when you know you've found a book you've fallen head over heels for? When "This!" is the only word that comes to mind to describe your feelings because your ability to form coherent sentences has been blown away along with your mind?Well then, I simply say "This!"Personally, I'm a firm believer in going into second books blind. I've found distancing myself from rumors and teaser chapters and blurbs make for a more enjoyable reading experience. I'd rather unravel where the story's going as it unfolds in front of me, than know bits and pieces ahead of time that might morph into unfounded and unmet expectations. So, that said, I didn't know much about the directionSiege and Storm was headed when I began the book, and I don't want to take that thrill away from you by revealing too much of the story. So, I'll just say... I love Siege and Storm more than Shadow and Bone. It's a second book so you can expect much drama, much conflict, much political intrigue, and moments that will tear your heart to pieces. And in those moments where it feels like your heart is being ripped piece by tiny piece from your chest, be prepared to say, "Please sir, may I have another?" Because seriously, it's just that good.Overall. I must revert to my natural state of incoherent fangirl where I'm only capable of saying: "This!"

Presque un an d'attente après avoir lu Grisha, j'ai enfin lu la suite. En anglais, puisqu'il n'est pas sortit en français. Mais j'ai ENFIN mis fin à cette terrible impatience, j'ai enfin sauté le pas, j'ai eu le courage de le lire en anglais - ce n'est pas si dur - et j'ai enfin découvert ce qu'il arrivait à Alina, Mal, au Darkling. J'ai même rencontré des petits nouveaux.Où commencer? Si je parlais du début.Mais pas du tout début début. Plutôt du début du milieu du début. Le début de Siege and Storm est centré sur un côté "aventure". L'auteur a exploré un aspect de la "planète" que je n'avais jamais lu avant, dans tous les styles confondus, et c'est une sacré bouffée d'air frais. Tout est très rapide au début. L'action arrive quand tu regardes ailleurs, et tu rencontre plein de petits nouveaux à qui tu donnes un morceau de coeur - le peu qu'il te reste puisque tu as déjà tout donné à tout le monde dans le tome 1. Mais ça c'est le début.Je ne vais donc pas parler de tous les nouveaux, mais je vais insister sur Sturmhond. Je vais vous parler de lui parce que je ne sais quoi dire sur lui en fait. Parce que Sturmhond, c'est Sturmhond, et voilà, et si vous voulez sourire comme des abruties devant sa répartie et son charme, mais allez-y. Allez-y. Ne vous gênez pas pour moi. Ne finissez pas la chronique, de toute façon, on s'en fout.Pour ceux qui continuent la chroniqueRestons sur les personnages.Tandis que le mystère autour du Darkling et de ses possibilités est très entretenu et insatiable, Mal est beaucoup plus présent. Il se faisait rare dans le tome 1, mais son personnage est ici très présent, très attachant, très généreux, et très patient. Alina, quant à elle, évolue énormément autour de son pouvoir, et est très influencée par celui-ci.Forcément, tout ne peut pas aller parfaitement bien entre un Sturmhond super charmant, un Mal super attachant dans un monde qui ne lui correspond pas, un Darkling qui se fait désirer, et une Alina perdue. Hé bien, ça fait mal. Parce que Leigh Bardugo est très sadique.C'était vrai quand je disais qu'on donnait des morceaux de nos coeurs aux personnages, mais Leigh a oublié un truc, c'est qu'on n'a pas dit "Vas-y, joue avec et casse le".L'écritureC'est toujours un délice. Je ne sais pas quoi vous dire de plus, j'ai dû mal à m'exprimer. J'ai dû mal à expliquer comment Leigh Bardugo à renforcé son univers, la rendu plus complexe, et plus fascinant, plus inattendu, et plus addictif. Étrange que son imagination se concentre dans sa tête, et qu'elle ne traine pas une "valise à imagination" derrière elle.J'ai été plusieurs fois surprise, jusqu'à faire "Oh!" à voix haute et que le chéri fasse "quoi?" juste après. Leigh surprend en un mot. Tu lis ta phrase tranquillement, et bam! un mot, et bam! t'es surprise, et tu dis "oh!" à voix haute. Magique. Toutes les émotions humaines sont exploitées et utilisées pour mieux être amplifiées et détruites.Pour finirFinissons par la fin. Leigh Bardugo a construit un conte de fée en trois tomes, et j'en ai lu deux tiers. C'est un gros coup de coeur, mais vous l'avez peut-être remarqué (sinon, vous le remarquerez à l'instant même), j'ai mis un 9,5 sur 10. Mother of God, un demi point en moins.La fin n'est pas mauvaise. La fin n'est pas médiocre. Mais la fin m'a poussé à retirer un demi-point. Le souci ne vient pas de l'auteur, mais de mon appréciation personnelle, et de ce que j'aime et ce que j'aime pas. Alors pour être honnête, la fin, un peu brusque, probablement pour mieux nous perdre, ne m'a pas plu. J'admets qu'elle me donne très envie d'voir la suite pour mettre fin à ce petit détail, mais ça ne se termine pas sur une très bonne note. Disons une moyenne note.Pour ceux qui ne lisent pas en VO, et qui fulminent de ne pas avoir la VF dans les mains, rien de nouveau au niveau de la date de sortie française. Castelmore a dit vouloir se concentrer sur les séries déjà sorties, et c'est dommage de laisser cette superbe trilogie de côté.

El libro es hermoso, la edición de pasta dura está muy bien cuidada y diseñada. Lo que no me gustó (y por lo que le doy 4/5) es porque la edición de pasta blanda te dice que te trae un extra, el relato de Genya (La confeccionadora), esperaba que la edición en pasta dura también lo trajera, pero me tope con la sorpresa de que no es así, en teoría no deberían cambiarle al contenido, pero parece que sí:(.

this is a good book but it's not revolutionary.i do really like alina, though, but man do i hate the darkling