Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Blurb:
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.
My Review:
I first started reading Shadow and Bone back in July. I'd heard a lot of things about the book at the time - both good and bad - and was curious to read it myself. The mistake I made at the time was to get the audiobook instead of the physical book. Now I have nothing against the audiobook, I liked the narrator and the story moved but my issue stems from a dislike for audiobooks in general. I don't like being read to and can't seem to focus on the story.
And Shadow and Bone was definitely not a story I wanted to miss anything of! From the beginning, I was enthralled by the world-building. Yes, Ravka and the Grishaverse reminded me of Russia - from the names to the setting to the accent the narrator put on for the audiobook, which I know some people find issue with but I saw it merely as a stylized version.
Alina was a little difficult to like in the beginning as I couldn't figure out why she had to make everything so difficult. I remember the part where the Darkling suggests she have a black kefta like his but she balks and prefers the blue and I couldn't help thinking "just take the damn robe-thing! You're supposed to stand out! You're unique!" But I supposed Ms. Bardugo did that as a way to show the character was humble and modest. However, I enjoyed watching Alina grow throughout the book and her loyalty to Mal was commendable although I still don't quite see the appeal.
Sure, by the end of Shadow and Bone I liked Alina with Mal (sort of) but I don't give much credit to a character that doesn't realize he cares for a girl until he sees her with someone else. I don't think guys are quite that dumb. I also would have appreciated more of why Mal was such a good tracker - is there something special about him that makes him so?
But my favorite character in this book (until the end) was the Darkling. He makes a superb villain although I wish things would have worked out between him and Alina. There was so much potential there, so much passion. But the Darkling was corrupt and he wanted power and that ruined everything. Let's all mourn for what could have been.
The Darkling slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said with a weary shrug. “Make me your villain.
Overall, I really enjoyed Shadow and Bone once I read the actual book (I'm officially done with audiobooks). The book itself is gorgeous, I love the map and the chapter headings but the story is wonderful as well. It moved fast and there wasn't anything forced about the storyline. I could definitely see myself reading this book again and devouring the other two books in the trilogy just as quickly.
My Rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
4.5 of 5 Stars!
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