*WARNING* THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS.
Ruin and Rising is the third and last book in the Grisha Trilogy (worry not if you want to see more of this universe you can read the Six of Crows duology) written by Leigh Bardugo. If you've gotten this far into the series I don't think I need to say more.
The beginning was a little slow for me, but the plot becomes much more interesting in this book.
Bardugo gave us some really heart-wrenching scenes and a bit of a plot twist (it was for me since I didn't see it coming). For instance, and of course you know what I mean or you will soon enough, the scenes that gave me all the feels were: Genya's confession and trial ("Na razrusha'ya. E'ya razrushost. I am not ruined. I am ruination."); Baghra's death and her background story, Nikolai's possession (this scene actually hurt) and Alina crying in the woods after seeing Nikolai.
Mal being the third amplifier felt like a perfect fit for this story, I liked the twist and was hoping for a different ending. I can't say that I loved the ending, it definitely felt too optimistic, given the odds and circumstances. I don't think bringing Mal back to life was a good decision, it was like "Really? Bringing him back to life? Just like that? And through merzost? The one thing that's constantly stated as being unnatural and dangerous in these books? And not only that but we get a happily ever after? No grave/dark consequences for using that kind of power?" I mean it was cute and I think get why the author did it, but again, it seemed unrealistic.
The one thing I liked about the ending was The Darkling's death. Did I like that he died? Not exactly, I enjoyed and finally understood some of the hype surrounding this character, here's where we get to know him better, his true motives, his human side. He's no longer this unreachable, extremely powerful and evil villain, the author managed to humanize him, she made him vulnerable, and that, that was amazing to see. "Don't let me be alone." *sniff, sniff*
The characters, without a doubt I was completely and utterly attached to these characters. Let's start with Mal. He's in a better place, I like him now (never disliked him but I just didn't actually liked him), he has a purpose now, he's more...centered and calm. Alina is also in a much better place, she's still trying to figure herself out in some ways and has a lot on her plate but overall she is stronger and more determined. I already talked about The Darkling. Nikolai, if I adored him in the previous book then I have no words to define how much I love this character in this one, he's now one of my all time favorite characters (if you want to hear me gush about him more check out my review for Siege and Storm).
As in many (really a lot) of novels out there we start to see some characters pair up: Nadia and Tamar are really cute, Genya and David make my heart melt (especially David, his way of expressing his love for her is unique). Adrik and Misho are young and unbelievably brave characters, Tolya is rough on the outside but soft on the inside, Harshaw is weird but funny and he has Oncat (nice addition), Zoya, as I had hoped, grows on me and she becomes friends with Alina, I like her sarcasm and snarkiness, and finally Sergei, I never liked Sergei, I still don't, especially after what he did, but at the end he was a teenager, a terrified and desperate one, which never leads to anything good, so I don't hate him.
This series taught me that a villain is never just that. People can and will do everything to accomplish their own version of a "good thing", and yes, what is "good" for them may not seem like the right thing for others, but in the end their motives are more profound than just greed or malice, I mean they tend to be greedy and maybe evil, but the true question is: why? What led them to choose that path? Was it a continued action that left an imprint on them for a lifetime? Was it a specific event? Was it a person? Why do they do what they do? Are they beyond redemption? How can you know that? I found that fascinating.
It also taught me that power has a price, a sometimes very high one, and that we need to accept ourselves, dark bits and all.
This series was a fun ride. It gets better with each book, the plot improves, the characters grow and the writing style is like the ribbon that surrounds it all like a big, bright gift, truly remarkable and enjoyable. I give this book 4.8 out of 5 stars, and I can confidently say that I will be reading more of Leigh's work.