Ally

Full of adventure, mystical creatures, politics, and war, Siege and Storm is a fantastic follow-up to its predecessor. We begin across the Unsea, in a distant land where Alina and Mal have taken refuge from the Darkling. But they are not safe for long.

I have to say, while Alina and Mal were still good characters (for the most part), I missed the Darkling quite a bit. For those of you who feel the same gaping, black hole in your heart, fear not! For me, anyway, this hole was filled with Nikolai, the younger prince of Ravka. I know, I know, he is nothing really like the Darkling, but he is still sexy in his own way. He was definitely one of the most interesting characters in the book, and I wish Alina would just forget Mal and fall for Nikolai. And honestly, Mal wasn't doing much for himself in this book. He basically turns into a sniveling, self-absorbed jerk, which may be even worse than the usual brooding bad boy.

The plot was very fast-paced, and part of a more overarching plot for the whole series rather than this specific book. However, I never felt like I was being cheated out of plot. Throughout the novel, we are introduced to several new sub-plots that intrigued me, especially when they related to the Darkling. Overall, I was happy with the pace of the novel.

Finally, that ending, oh my God. Why do authors torture me like this? Why do they find the need to (view spoiler). I cannot handle the wait for the next book!