New York: Henry Holt & Company, 2013 (432 pages)
The story of Mal and Alina continues in this second novel in Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy. Mal and Alina have made their way to Cofton, in the southern part of Novyi Zem, the country across the True Sea from Ravka. Mal finds work easily, but it’s harder for Alina, who must constantly keep her collar, the stag horn amplifier, hidden away lest anyone recognizes it. They fear for their lives, of course, but hope that they have made a clean escape from the clutches of the Darkling and his second army. The Darkling’s hold on Alina is powerful, and power is seductive, luring her away from Mal and toward the second and third amplifiers that will make her the most dangerous weapon, one that will either free Ravka and the rest of the world, or bring it to its knees. Their respite is short-lived; the Darkling has found them, and Mal and Alina must endure sorrow and deprivation at his hands before they find unexpected relief when the privateer Sturmhond wrests control. When Sturmhond promises freedom if they will meet with his client, Mal and Alina reluctantly agree. Their ability to trust anyone, even each other, dwindles to near nonexistence as the pair struggle to decide where their loyalties lie. Once the course is chosen, the love they bear for each other is tested to its limits, and only the most precious sacrifice will redeem it.
Tags: romance, supernatural power, war
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