Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Macmillian / Holt Children's
Pages: 368
Series: 1st in a trilogy
Acquisition: NetGalley
Summary:
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. (from Goodreads)
My thoughts:
Fantasy mixed with the supernatural combined with unforgettable characters. Can we say 'WIN!'? A first person POV with a female protag that acted and reacted in believable ways to unbelievable situations? WIN again!
Alina has had a hard life but she doesn't complain about it. She's had horrible things done to her but she doesn't back down. She doesn't need anyone to take care of her yet she longs for companionship. Weak is never a word I would use to describe her. She is fierce, which is made all the more alluring by the fact that she is her own person. She doesn't need anyone to define her - even when her life is thrown upside down she doesn't loose her sense of self. I really could go on and on - suffice it to say, I absolutely loved Alina. And she isn't the only one I feel in love with - even the bad guys got under my skin in a good way.
Even if Shadow and Bone didn't have such wonderful characters, I think the world alone would have done me in. Magic reins but magic also destroys. The world everyone lives in is angry with mistakes and full of reasons to be terrified. There are a lot of layers to this world and at the same time, everything about it felt within my grasp. I felt a connection right from the start and could easily imagine myself living on the edge of the Shadow Fold, fighting for my life.
Final verdict:
Love! Young adult fantasy at it's best. Layers and hidden meanings combined with romance and betrayal. Shadow and Bone was easily devoured and satisfying yet it left me longing for more.
Defiantly a series I will continue and Leigh Bardugo is absolutely an author I will be following closely!
Overall Rating:
5 / 5 Stars
Linkage Love:
Author's website
Goodreads
IndieBound
So excited about this! I received an ARC but I wasn't really sure what this was about. Your review now has me totally pumped to start reading :)
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear! I really devoured this one and I can't wait to see what Leigh has planned next.
Delete"Magic reins but magic also destroys." Sounds so powerful! I can't wait to read this one!
ReplyDelete