Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grishaverse #1
Rating: ★★★★☆
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
I came to this world backwards. I read Six of Crows first. And I loved it. The entire world was absolutely fascinating to me. I loved being in it, I loved the story, I loved the characters. Though the ending left me … devastated. Consequently, it left me leery of starting this series. I wasn’t sure I was emotionally prepared to have my heart broken like that again.
But, finally, I couldn’t stand not visiting the world once again. I started with The Demon in the Woods; quickly fell in love and went on to The Witch of Duva. The dark fairy-tale vibe hooked me. I couldn’t stop.
When I started Shadow and Bone, I started it without knowing anything beforehand. I think that made it all the more emotional of a journey for me. I was right there with Alina as she figured things out, unsure of who to trust or where to turn for truth. I connected with her, and understood her feelings. I love that she doesn’t discount or back away from what was felt, believed, or done. I loved that she wasn’t entirely sure of herself, but she tried her best to make her way through the twisty truth with what she felt was right.
I loved so much about this book. The fact that there was more focus on the world and the plot and the characters, rather than some silly romance. That the romance that was there actually had a basis. That there isn’t really a love triangle (don’t believe it). I enjoyed the little bit of dress up that Alina gets to do, because it’s so very limited as she focuses on training, learning, and surviving.
My one disappointment? This book ends at 57% on my Kindle. What? I was expecting a LOT more story. I mean, the story followed a good, solid arc, but when I’d look down and see I was only at 50% I just assumed that there was half a book left to go. I feel like I need a warning when my Kindle books are going to do that.
And that’s all I’ve got time for. Time to dive into book 2. Lots of characters that I’m – once again – intrigued as hell with. Gotta see where this goes from here.
Oh my gosh, I read Six of Crows first too, and am moving on to this one next. I’m glad to hear that it’s not a disappointment! I can’t wait to read.
Sue, I really hope you enjoy it!
Slight disclaimer – this has a very different feel than Six of Crows. Six of Crows was more an ensemble caper sort of book, and this is more of the – I hate to say “typical,” but I’m not sure of a better way to describe it – YA book. It has the character discovering that she’s someone special, and her journey to deal with the huge injustice in the world. But it’s written SO much better than most of the YA out there. Leigh Bardugo is really becoming one of my favorite authors.
Please come back and tell me what you think!