“I've seen what you truly are," said the Darkling, "and I've never turned away. I never will. Can he say the same?”

So we all know that I LOVED Leigh Bardugo's debut novel, SHADOW AND BONE, right?  If not, refresh yourself here.

Well the sequel, SIEGE AND STORM, came out in June and my god, it is even better then the first book! That almost never happens!

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm

I didn't put this book down until I had read the last page and then wanted to go right back to the beginning again!  Alina continues to be a strong willed leading lady and the many men in her life (including a delightful new guy to throw into the mix) add to the story rather than take away form it (who here is tired of uninteresting romantic interests?  Show of hands?)  Bardugo writes with a loveliness that intermingles tragedy and hope into every page.  I am so excited to read the next book.