Review Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Review Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis: The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.

Rating: 5+/5 Stars

Must read! Must buy! Must have! Must fall in love with!

Other books in the series:

Siege and Storm

Ruin and Rising (to be published in 2014)

Short stories in the series:

The Witch of Duva

The Too-Clever Fox

The Tailor

Genres: Young Adult, High Fantasy

Recommended for: fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tahereh Mafi, Veronica Roth and Kristin Cashore

Book Trailer:

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My opinion:

Have you ever loved a book so much that you remember every single detail even after a whole MONTH since you’ve read it? No joke. Every single one.

“This was his soul made flesh, the truth of him laid bare in the blazing sun, shorn of mystery and shadow. This was the truth behind the handsome face and the miraculous powers, the truth that was the dead and empty space between the stars, a wasteland peopled by frightened monsters.”

Well, if you have, then you probably get my feelings now. If you haven’t, here’s a short summary:

I adored Shadow and Bone! Devoured it in like 7 hours – and I was disturbed from my reading only by life-altering decisions (what shall we eat?) and emergencies. But let me explain a little bit more about what I loved *grins*

1. The world building & original mythology

Guys, the world building is phenomenal! We’re introduced to the world of Ravka (which is inspired by Russia and its folklore), a country ruled by royals. You see, Ravka has two Armies: the First Army and the Second Army. And the last one is made of powerful Grisha – people with magical abilities.

There are terms that could be a bit complicated to understand (Oprichnik, Corporalki, Etherealki) but trust me: in two chapters tops, you’ll have the hang of it and you’ll know who’s who. There’s fashion (kefta) and drinks (kvas). Oh, and monsters (volcra). Brr.

But let’s not forget the actual Ravka. It’s amazingly described and totally original. Its lands, Os Alta (the capital), the architecture, the politics. Plus, The Fold! Wowza.

2. The characters

Alina – she is the main character and the one that narrates the story. An orphan who doesn’t remember her family, Alina is a cartographer in the First Army when she discovers she has a latent power – she’s the Sun Summoner. And in the kingdom where darkness makes the rules, she’s the missing piece of the puzzle.

I loved her to tiny pieces! I connected with her and I ended up considering her a long-time-no-see friend. She’s shy and candid, but smart, witty and brave. She has this innocence that matches her power and exudes light. At the end of the novel, you can see she’s stronger and more confident.

"How did you fare with the Queen?" he asked.
"I have no idea," I said honestly. "Everything she said was perfectly nice, but the whole time she was looking at me as if I were something her dog spit up.”

Mal – Alina’s best friend and her only trusted companion. He’s great and swoon-worthy! I wasn’t much of his fan initially, but he grew on me. His natural charm, his good looks, his funny jokes, his deeply care for Alina… Plus, he knows how to use big guns. Hmm. Yep, Mal is the epithome of the perfect boyfriend, but I always thought his relationship with Alina is a little bit forced. He doesn’t understand her. Still, this boy is wonderful *batting eyelashes*

“I don't care if you danced naked on the roof of the Little Palace with him. I love you, Alina, even the part of you that loved him.”

The Darkling – oh my GOD. Let the rambling begin.

From the beginning, I loved him. He was alluring and mysterious. The Darkling is hundreds of years old, we don’t know his true name, he is the leader of the Grisha and the Second Army and he controls darkness. He takes Alina under his wing and offers her training and new life. And believe me, bookworms everywhere, those two… Together? Light and darkness? Ying and yang? Incendiary. There’s a certain kiss that involves them and I was hyperventilating. Holy sweet baby Jesus! Squeeee! I actually did squeee. And I never did that. NEVER.

“The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, "is that it makes us weak.”

BUT there’s a little detail I won’t give away that changes absolutely everything. I’m not gonna leave you hanging so I’ll just show you how I felt at the revelation:

Sigh. The only thing that is missing is the little gesture that he’s human. That he’s redeemable...
And my love for him did waver then, but not enough to lose my faith in him.

“I hope you don't expect fairness from me, Alina. It isn't one of my specialties.”

But nonetheless, I’m Team Darkling. So please excuse the following obsession evidence. Muhahaha.

The Darkling is COMPLEX. SEXY. CRUEL. MYSTERIOUS. EVIL. DARK. LONELY. TEMPTING. COMPELLING. ADDICTIVE. DANGEROUS. POWERFUL. SKILLED. INTELLIGENT. FEARED. POSSESSIVE.

To shake any confussion… THE ULTIMATE BAD BOY!

“You're shaking."
"I'm not used to people trying to kill me."
"Really? I hardly notice anymore.”

Genya – aww, I liked her! Beautiful, sassy, sharp-tongued and a little bit broken. She doesn’t care what other people think about her and she always follows her gut.

Zoya – Arghh. That biii…ngo. *cough* Oh, damn it. I’ll just say it – she’s a bitch. And a vain one too.

The Apparat – that man is creepy as hell. I get chills down my spine just remembering him.

Baghra – she was actually one of my favorite characters. She earned my respect with her no-comments attitude (which was kind of funny)and I ended up missing her training sessions with Alina. Old lady or not, she’s a bad ass.

3. The relationships – well, we have a love triangle. But it’s a conflicting one, because, let’s be honest, the Darkling’s evil (deliciously so) and Mal’s the best friend turned love interest. It’s very similar to the love triangle from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi where I support Warner, the bad boy. Again.

“So I'm the Darkling's prisoner?"
"You're under his protection."
"What's the difference?"
"Pray you never find out.”

The Darkling understands Alina better and even if he wants her for her power, I believe that somewhere deep, deep, very deep inside him he really cares for her. Maybe even love her a little.

“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world.”

Anyway, this triangle is well written and gut-wrenching. You’ll be in for a hell of a ride! ;)

There’s also the friendship between Alina and Genya, little glimpses of joy in our heroine’s grim life. They were wonderful!

4. The atmosphere, the plot, the twists & the pace

Shadow and Bone is good at details. The author plays out the events nicely and there are no confusions regarding the plot.

There’s constantly this weight on your shoulders during the book. It keeps you engaged in the action and at the edge of your seat. The suspense was KILLING ME, especially at the end. I turned on the lights at some moment, because all that talk about darkness and its monsters were scaring the crap outta me.

The pace was… perfect, may I say. Considering S&S starts with some introduction and then BAM! the domino pieces start to fall, the story is really balanced. It’s not rushed, so the readers aren’t overwhelmed. It’s not slooooow – otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this review, because I often don’t finish such books. We have lots and lots of action. Epic battles, training, jaw-dropping twists and turns that changed everything. They weren’t just simple “Oh, I didn’t think at that” kind of twists, but full bombs with revelations that toyed with my heart strings and made my eyes go O.O.

But we also have dancing, gossiping, parties and jokes. And the mix is hands down amazing :)

“Too much champagne?”
“Maybe.”
“Silly girl,” she said, looping her arm through mine. “There’s no such thing as too much champagne. Though your head will try to tell you otherwise tomorrow.”

OH. And there’s a tiny cliffhanger. Nothing major, but you’ll want book 2 nearby.

5. The writing style is pure awesomesauce. The words were flowing easily and everything felt natural. The descriptions and the dialogue were great! Leigh Bardugo created a great story with her new elements and the simple idea of darkness. Or most likely, what awaits in the darkness. I am soo thankful she wrote this book! I’m definitely a fan!

“Then the memory of the Darkling's kiss blew through me and rattled my concentration, scattering my thoughts like leaves and making my heart swoop and dive like a bird borne aloft by uncertain currents.”

Overall?

Shadow and Bone was an exquisite blend of action, romance, suspense and fantasy! Seriously unputdownable. Unique. Incredibly dark. Addictive. Epic. One of the best books I’ve read this year and definitely one of my all time favorites.

I never wanted it to end and I can honestly say I was blown away by it. I laughed, I gasped, I was left shocked and in denial and I was mesmerized by this gorgeous new world!

Read it ASAP! I know I regreted not reading this for a freaking year… Also, there’s a movie in the works, so what better time?? Especially since the sequel just came out!