Seige and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Seige & Storm is classic tale between good and evil taking place in a fantasy land in Europe. This is the second in the series. Most all of the persons, places and things are of the Russian culture and language. In the first book, Alina discovers she is a Sun Summoner. At first the Darkling appears to protect her and help her to harness this miracle, since Alina becomes the hope for the future. She is worshipped by the masses and hated by the enemy. But soon it is revealed the Darkling is an enemy. When an unlikely privateer offers to help, she steps into her role to fight against the Darkling. Clues from age old books lead Alina and Mal to hunt for sacred objects promising to multiply her power, and they do. But it seems the coveted relics make her more of a prisoner to the Darkling, than a power to overtake him. When Alina finds herself at the pinnacle of her power, she begins to lose her relationship with Mal, and her confidence. Without choices, Alina becomes isolated from Mal and the country she hopes to defend. She feels closer to the darkness than she does to the light. This story is the second in the trilogy. -Kim Luke
Blurb-
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, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But 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.
