Author: Leigh Bardugo
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 358
Rating: 7 out of 10
Summary (Goodreads is my back BONE): 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.
Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.
Thoughts: When Kristen first got this novel, I don't think she was sure whether or not she would like it. Actually, I'm almost positive that she wasn't sure. She might have even told me so. When I picked up this novel I was a little leery. I wasn't sure if this would be my kind of book. It looked a bit too...magic for me. I actually loved it.
The beginning really does start at the beginning. We are given just enough background so as to understand the characters and their motivation. We know what scares them and why. We know who is close and why they care so much for each other. All of these things turned out to be very important for the rest of the story. How could it not be? I love how the author wrote the beginning and the end, giving a sort of an outside perspective.
The world the author made in this story was incredible. I loved it. I loved the feel of it. There wasn't just one town that the story was confined to; it was an entire world. The characters could and did travel often. They saw things that were outside of their experience so that the reader learned right beside them. I loved that there was a language even though it was only a few words. It adds another dimension. I love words and languages so that could just be me that enjoyed that. The world the author created was literally magical.
Also, who doesn't wish that they had magic, I mean, really? I wish I did. I'd like to leave out all the other stuff though, you know, the war and crazy deadly bad creatures and all that fun (not) stuff.
I must admit, however, that this novel would easily disappear into the mix that is YA literature. It's similar to so many other books. There are some unique elements but if you read this kind of YA all the time, this novel might not stand out for you. I was lucky enough to be away from fantasy novels for just long enough to be into this story. Even then, I think that it was more for the characters than for the story line. I fall in love with characters so easily. Plus, I always need to find out how stories end.
The beginning really does start at the beginning. We are given just enough background so as to understand the characters and their motivation. We know what scares them and why. We know who is close and why they care so much for each other. All of these things turned out to be very important for the rest of the story. How could it not be? I love how the author wrote the beginning and the end, giving a sort of an outside perspective.
The world the author made in this story was incredible. I loved it. I loved the feel of it. There wasn't just one town that the story was confined to; it was an entire world. The characters could and did travel often. They saw things that were outside of their experience so that the reader learned right beside them. I loved that there was a language even though it was only a few words. It adds another dimension. I love words and languages so that could just be me that enjoyed that. The world the author created was literally magical.
Also, who doesn't wish that they had magic, I mean, really? I wish I did. I'd like to leave out all the other stuff though, you know, the war and crazy deadly bad creatures and all that fun (not) stuff.
I must admit, however, that this novel would easily disappear into the mix that is YA literature. It's similar to so many other books. There are some unique elements but if you read this kind of YA all the time, this novel might not stand out for you. I was lucky enough to be away from fantasy novels for just long enough to be into this story. Even then, I think that it was more for the characters than for the story line. I fall in love with characters so easily. Plus, I always need to find out how stories end.
Basically: I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. I'm definitely going to finish this series with great anticipation. If you are into fantasy, magic kind of stuff and are tired of vampires and werewolves (are those still a thing, I avoided them the whole time and now I feel out of the loop) then I think you'll like this novel.
OOh nice review! I admit I just got curious about this one and order the books! Thought it sounded interesting and I've heard lots of great things about them over the years.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do still love my vamps and weres! Never get tired of those! ;)
Great review!