Want personalized picks that fit your family?
Set preferences to see our top age-appropriate picks for your kids.
Ruin and Rising: The Grisha Trilogy, Book 3
Common Sense says
- Leigh Bardugo
- Fantasy
- 2014
Parents say
Kids say
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Get it now on
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Ruin and Rising is the third book in the The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. It continues the story of Alina searching for the amplifiers that give her power and defeating the Dark One. There's hand-to-hand combat with weapons and magic, and characters are injured and killed. Strong language is limited to "damn" and "ass." There's romance and kissing, and, in a brief sex scene, the kissing is more described than the sex.
Stay up to date on new reviews.
User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
not for 13 year olds!!!
Lovely Reading
What's the story?
RUIN AND RISING is the final book in The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. Main characters Alina and Mal continue to search for the remaining amplifier, the firebird, to increase Alina's power as the Sun Summoner. But, in the meantime, she has to deal with a group of zealots who worship her as a saint. Alina feels she's nothing of the kind, that she's just a girl on a mission to defeat the Darkling and protect Ravka from further destruction. Alina doesn't want more lives lost. She must prove to her people and her friends that she can save Ravka. But in her way stand new foes and allies, including her own feelings for the Darkling and Mal. Alina must figure out her own destiny, which could lead her either on a path of ruin or rising.
Is it any good?
Ruin and Rising is darker than the previous two novels in the trilogy. Alina's strength of character and fierce determination give the story its light. Ruin and Rising also digs deeper into the Darkling as a person. Even though he's the villain, readers root for him. Alina continues to battle her feelings for him and Mal. While turning the pages, readers wonder who will win her love and trust. Bardugo's characters -- from main to secondary -- are fascinatingly multilayered, particularly the Darkling.
Bardugo also does a great job of breathing life into a mystical and magical world. This series is filled with complicated and dynamic stories and characters who feel real. Nothing's ever an easy choice for Alina, Mal, and the Darkling. Whether you are Team Mal or Team Darkling, the novel is an entertaining read and gives closure to the series.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the ending of Ruin and Rising. Is that how you figured it would turn out? Are you happy with the ending?
What do you like best about fantasy books set in an alternate reality? Are they believable? Did you connect with the world and characters author Leigh Bardugo created?
How hard is it for someone to recover after being ruined, personally or professionally? Is it possible to overcome people's judgments and negativity? How can someone rise from being ruined?
Book details
- Author: Leigh Bardugo
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc.
- Publication date: June 17, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 18
- Number of pages: 432
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Themes & Topics
Browse titles with similar subject matter.
For kids who love fantasy and romance
Our editors recommend
Top advice and articles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.