4.5 Stars 
 REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! READ AT YOU OWN RISK. 
 OMG. What a sequel! 
 First of all, I'm going to put this out there-- I'm a Team Mal. Although his character was a little disappointing in this book (more details later), I am fine with the fact that the Darkling didn't appear much in Siege and Storm. Man, that guy is so evil! He's like Voldemort incarnate. I wonder how Alina will kill him, the guy just won't die! 
 Anyway, Bardugo did really well on this sequel. As usual, the writing was brilliant, the world building was fantastic, and the story is riveting. I was hooked from the beginning until the end! I loved the action in this book! In fact, I enjoyed the action too much that I didn't care about the romantic parts. 
 Okay, maybe I did care. 
 The author covered all her bases when it comes to epic battle scenes. There was one in the sea, another one by air, and the last one was by land. The fight scenes were intense and very impressive! 
 Now let's move on to the characters: 
 Alina is torn between doing what she must and doing what she wants. She wanted to be normal and just be with Mal, but her power--the light, calls to her, begging her to unleash her full potential and use it to save Ravka. While she and Mal were on the run, she felt weak because of not using her power. Apparently, Alina is not meant to be a normal girl so, she finally accepted her fate and embraced her powers. In doing so, her priorities changed affecting her relationship with Mal. 
 The Darkling survived his last encounter with the Sun Summoner but he's weak and wounded. However, he was still able to locate Mal and Alina and dragged them to track a mythical creature that is known to have scales that will serve as a second amplifier. Everything went according to his plans until a pirate double crossed him in the sea taking the mythical creature, Mal, and Alina with him. After the Darkling's encounter with the privateer in the sea, he went MIA. He was mentioned occasionally but no appearance until the last battle in Ravka at the end of the book. 
 Sturmhond is the privateer who double-crossed the Darkling. He's strong, a great leader and have a good sense of humor. However, Sturmhond in the sea is different in the land. He have several layers of personality, he's a friend today and can be your enemy the next. I think he's really a good guy but he and Alina are too alike. Their priorities are the same and both are willing to do anything to save Ravka. That's when I knew that Alina-Sturmhond/Nikolai is not going to happen. 
 Lastly, there's Mal. Oh dear, I love the guy but I was disappointed by his actions. Not long ago, I quoted Jeanann Verlee's poem on one of my reviews and I'm going to quote her again because her poem is perfect for Mal's situation! I chose a few lines from her poem Lessons on Loving a Prophet: 
 One. 
 You know how this ends. There's nothing you can do to change it, so make peace with it now. Ready your hands for the callus, shred the cloth for bandages, prepare the rosaries. 
 ... 
 Nine. 
 When he explains that he cannot love you. That he will never be yours alone. When he tells how the meek, the gluttons, the tempted, the proud are his angels, do not mourn. Smile, feed him, wash his hair. 
 As I was saying, I was disappointed when Mal became selfish towards the end of the book. However, I really couldn't blame him. When the person you love is changing before you and starts to pull away from you, I think he has the right to feel that way. He's not perfect, he's not special, he's removed from his rank, and he's just a commoner now. He endured the mocking he's getting just to continue his support for Alina, and then Alina changed on him. Despite their fall out, I still believe in Mal. I can't wait to see him standing beside Alina once the Darkling is defeated. Remember Mal: 
 Twelve. 
 You were made for this. 
 Siege and Storm is a really good sequel. It's action packed and there was a lot of character development. I can't wait to read Ruin and Rising! This book is highly recommended to YA Fantasy readers.