Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo is the second book in the Shadow and Bone series. It’s a young adult/fantasy novel that was recently made into a Netflix show. The reader continues to follow Alina Starkov, a powerful summoner of light as she tries to evade the Darkling. The Darkling, a nearly immortal summoner of shadows, wants to use her to aid in his goal of ruling their country, Ravka. Alina desperately avoids him and his army of shadow-creatures, while trying to build up a force of her own and find a legendary amplifier of magic. She’d also like to maintain her relationship with her childhood friend, Mal - but the Darkling and even the ruler of Ravka have other things in mind.
To be completely honest, I did not like this book that much. The only reason I read it was because I enjoyed the Netflix series. It was much better than the first book though, with higher stakes and a more interesting plot. I found the magic system and story to be the most interesting part of the book, but I was disappointed by some of the characters and their development. Mal becomes sullen and jealous and Alina becomes sort of morally gray but not completely, and I would have preferred the author to have chosen a more interesting arc for Mal and allowed Alina to completely become an antihero. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed other books by the author or likes similar books in the genre. However, I give it two stars.