Grishaverse Read Along discussion

This is where we will discuss Siege and Storm chapters 9-15

I'm really struggling to ship Mal and Alina... I just don't see the chemistry. Anyone else?
Also Sturmhond is quickly becoming a favourite character of mine. He kind of reminds me of Aelin (throne of glass) with his cunning and foresight and Magnus Bane (the mortal instruments).... his ideas and designs for different mechanical things also remind me of another character but I can't think who...

Aaaand as I expected, I got bored for the chapters 9~15. It's getting slow, more talking than anything really interesting happening.

Every time Nikolai appear it makes it more interesting and funny! But really, Alina is getting a bit of stupid even tho I'm intrigued by how much she'll become as the Darkling since power gets on her head.

Letitia wrote: "I'm really struggling to ship Mal and Alina... I just don't see the chemistry. Anyone else?

I don't ship them either! There's no chemistry at all..

They were good at the beginning of the book, but now they're just.. Saint and soldier, end of the story. The jealousy feels a bit forced? Like "ah yes he's supposed to react like that about Nikolai" or "she's supposed to not like and be jealous of Zoya"...

I don't have a lot to say about these chapters. We sort of see Alina thread closer to power and that it might be one that corrupts. But overall, it feels a bit like playing castle and I'm not sure that Alina is pulling the threads as much as she wants to.

I liked the scene with Baghra. Despite everything mothers put their own child first. It took her possibly everything she had to make the decision she did and Alina realising that she also let her down... Can't say I like Baghra but it felt realistic to me.

When it comes to Sturmhond (I never quite get his name right in my head) I have a feeling that he might not be that great of a guy. It's clear that he puts his ambition first of all, not caring for Alinas say in him using her as a symbol for his own gain. We only have his words too for him acting evil but actually is good (the ship story of feeding his enemies fingers to his dogs). I really don't want him to turn out to be Darkling 2.0 tho, even if I don't particularly like him as of now. I hope he is a bad person doing good things.

When it comes to the ship we are obviously meant to be on board for, Alina and Mal, I think it's weak. I can see what the author tried to do with going for the childhood dynamic sort of second lead victory, but he sort of falls short in both categories. He isn't quite male lead material yet. I don't really have any reason to root for them ending up together or anything.

While I enjoy court intrigue and the like, I feel like I share a bit of the sentiment that Alina is not quite qualified for the job. She is desperate to be different from Darkling so much that she's seeing all his actions as evil, though he was a competent war officer. I feel like she tries to force change rather than letting the change happen on it's own, and that might hurt the morale in the long run. Rome wasn't built in a day.

I hope we will get to some kind of point tho. Right now it feels like the story is slowing down because we don't have a clear objective as of now. There's the firebird but it could be put on the future for as long as the plot needs it too, because the explanation is due to drop from above by the authors hands right to Alinas plate. I'm assuming there will be some sort of actual siege because of the title, but as of now the entire conflict seems a bit uncertain.