Leigh Bardugo built the Grisha trilogy’s world with a specificity and generosity that was immediately apparent in Shadow and Bone — the Russian-influenced Ravka, the Fold, the Grisha themselves with their different orders and abilities — and Ruin and Rising has the considerable task of bringing all of it to an end without losing what made it compelling in the first place.
She manages it. The ending is not what I expected. I suspect it is not what most readers expected. Whether it is satisfying will depend, I think, on where you stood on the trilogy’s central tension — and by central tension I mean, naturally, the Darkling.
The Darkling
The Darkling is one of the great YA antagonists, and I want to give Bardugo full credit for not redeeming him in the way the narrative and the reader’s feelings both occasionally demand. He is what he is. He has always been what he is. Ruin and Rising honours that consistency while giving him enough interiority that his final scenes are genuinely affecting.
The dynamic between him and Alina in this book is the trilogy at its most thematically precise: two people who are uniquely suited to understand each other, whose understanding makes them dangerous to each other in equal and different ways.
Alina
Alina Starkov’s arc across three books is one of the better central character progressions in YA fantasy of this era. She begins as a girl who has spent her life trying not to be noticed and ends as someone who has to live with what visibility costs. Ruin and Rising resolves her arc in a way that is quieter and more domestic than the epic scale of the plot might suggest — and that choice, which divided readers, is the one I think makes the most sense for who Alina actually is.
She has never wanted what the narrative keeps trying to give her. The ending finally lets her have what she wants instead.
Nikolai
Nikolai Lantsov is the most enjoyable character in the trilogy, and Ruin and Rising gives him a subplot that tests him in ways his earlier appearances didn’t require. He is funny and capable and genuinely sad underneath both, and Bardugo handles him with the care he deserves. He later gets his own duology — King of Scars — and it is very good.
Why YA Readers Will Love This
For readers who have been in the Grisha world since Shadow and Bone: Ruin and Rising pays its debts. The mythology established across three books is given a conclusion that is internally consistent and emotionally serious.
For readers who came to Bardugo first through Six of Crows — which is excellent and requires no knowledge of the trilogy — this is the trilogy those characters live on the edges of. It rewards reading for context, and many characters from these books appear in the Grishaverse that follows.
For readers who want fantasy that handles moral complexity — where the villain has a coherent worldview and the hero has to live with ambiguous choices — this trilogy is among the best examples YA has produced. Bardugo is not interested in easy resolutions, and Ruin and Rising’s ending reflects that.
The Grisha world continues in Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, King of Scars, and Rule of Wolves. This trilogy is where it begins, and it begins beautifully.
Published: June 2014 · Genre: YA fantasy · Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, Book 3
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Ruin and Rising conclude the Grisha trilogy? The review says Bardugo manages the ending — it ‘is not what I expected, and I suspect it is not what most readers expected.’ Whether it is satisfying ‘will depend on where you stood on the trilogy’s central tension’ — meaning the Darkling. Bardugo delivers an ending that is ‘internally consistent and emotionally serious,’ which the review positions as the standard for fantasy conclusions.
How does Ruin and Rising handle the Darkling? The review gives Bardugo ‘full credit for not redeeming him in the way the narrative and the reader’s feelings both occasionally demand — he is what he is, he has always been what he is.’ Ruin and Rising ‘honours that consistency while giving him enough interiority that his final scenes are genuinely affecting.’ The Darkling is called ‘one of the great YA antagonists.’
How does Alina Starkov’s arc resolve in Ruin and Rising? The resolution is described as ‘quieter and more domestic than the epic scale of the plot might suggest,’ and the review defends this choice: ‘she has never wanted what the narrative keeps trying to give her — the ending finally lets her have what she wants instead.’ Alina’s arc across three books is called ‘one of the better central character progressions in YA fantasy of this era.’
What role does Nikolai Lantsov play in Ruin and Rising? Nikolai is described as ’the most enjoyable character in the trilogy,’ with Ruin and Rising giving him ‘a subplot that tests him in ways his earlier appearances didn’t require — he is funny and capable and genuinely sad underneath both, and Bardugo handles him with the care he deserves.’ The review notes he later gets his own King of Scars duology, ‘which is very good.’
What is the best reading order for experiencing the Grishaverse? The review addresses two types of readers: those who began with Shadow and Bone, who should read the trilogy to completion; and those who came to Bardugo first through Six of Crows, who should know the trilogy provides essential context for characters who ‘appear on the edges’ of the duology. The Grisha world continues through King of Scars and Rule of Wolves.
Further Reading from Authoritative Sources
- Ruin and Rising — Wikipedia’s Ruin and Rising article provides publication details and series context that helps readers understand the novel’s place as the Shadow and Bone trilogy’s conclusion.
- Leigh Bardugo — Wikipedia’s Leigh Bardugo article provides biographical and bibliographical context including the full Grishaverse, helping readers understand the trilogy within her broader body of work.
