Ruin and Rising Review: A Trilogy Finale That Earns Its Ending

Is Ruin and Rising a satisfying conclusion to the Grisha Trilogy? Here's a breakdown of the reception to Leigh Bardugo's finale — the banter, the heartbreak, and the Darkling's backstory.

8/18/20263 min read

Ruin and Rising Review: A Trilogy Finale That Earns Its Ending

Closing out the trilogy following Siege and Storm, this finale has earned some of the most enthusiastic reviewer praise in the entire Grishaverse. Here's a breakdown of what readers consistently highlight.

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Quick Answer

Reception is overwhelmingly positive, with multiple reviewers describing this as the strongest book in the trilogy by a wide margin. Alina's character arc, the ensemble's banter, and a genuinely moving backstory for the Darkling are the most consistently praised elements, alongside an ending reviewers describe as deeply satisfying.

What It's About

With Ravka torn apart by war and the stakes higher than ever, Alina and her allies face the trilogy's climactic confrontation with the Darkling. As alliances shift, sacrifices mount, and long-held secrets finally come to light — including the Darkling's own origins — every major relationship in the series moves toward resolution.

What Reviewers Consistently Praise

Alina's fullest character development in the series. Reviewers consistently describe this as her strongest book — the strain of everything she's carrying finally comes to a head, and multiple reviews note feeling like they deeply understood her choices and logic by this point, without the story relying on convenient plot shortcuts to move her forward.

The ensemble's banter. More than one reviewer specifically calls this the funniest, sharpest banter in the whole trilogy — providing necessary levity amid the surrounding devastation of war, with Nikolai singled out repeatedly as an audience favorite for his wit.

Genya's transformation. Reviewers describe genuine excitement over her arc in this book, embracing her more hardened, "ruined and ruinous" version and specifically praising a confrontation with the king as a standout moment.

Baghra's role. Reviewers appreciate her continued function as the character who keeps everyone humble, along with her dynamic with her young companion Misha, which more than one review calls both touching and funny.

Mal's redemption arc. After frustrations with some of his choices in Siege and Storm, reviewers note he proves himself in this installment, with his devotion to Alina remaining a constant even as the war changes him.

Unexpected sympathy for the Darkling. This is one of the most consistently mentioned elements — reviewers describe genuinely unexpected emotional investment in the Darkling once his backstory is revealed, portraying him as simultaneously villainous and tragically human rather than simply evil. Multiple reviewers note this complexity as one of Bardugo's strongest achievements in the series.

Real stakes and consequences. Reviewers appreciate that the book doesn't protect every character from real loss — the war has genuine costs, and the tension of not knowing who will make it to the end is repeatedly cited as effective, if difficult to sit with in the moment.

Full-circle relationship arcs. Reviewers note that Alina's relationships with Mal, Nikolai, and the Darkling all reach genuine, earned resolution by the book's end, with the author giving readers real understanding of why Alina feels the way she does about each of them.

What to Know Before You Start

Read Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm first — this is the direct, final conclusion to that story.

Go in prepared for real emotional weight. Reviewers are clear that significant losses occur, and the stakes feel genuine throughout.

The Apparat (a priest-like antagonist figure) plays a role some readers find deliberately unpleasant. Reviewers note he's clearly written to be off-putting, appearing at key moments rather than dominating the story throughout.

Who This Seems Right For

  • Anyone who's read the first two books — this is widely considered the trilogy's strongest entry

  • Readers who want a morally complex antagonist given real, humanizing backstory

  • Fans of ensemble banter and characters who genuinely support one another through hardship

Amazon link: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Final Thoughts

Based on overwhelmingly positive reviewer consensus, Ruin and Rising delivers what many describe as the most satisfying trilogy conclusion in recent YA fantasy memory — deepening Alina's character, humanizing the Darkling without excusing him, and bringing every major relationship to a genuinely earned close.