Book Review- Shadow & Bone

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

♥♥♥♥♥

Title: Shadow And Bone 

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Published: 2012

Publisher: Square Fish

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction

Plot: ♥♥♥♥♥
Characters: ♥♥♥♥♥
World Building: ♥♥♥♥♥
Flow: ♥♥♥♥♥

Synopsis:

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.

Review*:

   I'm not really sure where to start with this book other than I liked it and I'm glad I already have the rest of the series. Specifically the two points I really love about Bardugo's writing in this series is the pacing and the beauty she is able to convey without lingering on details too much. I have a very active imagination, so when writers tend to linger on little details I get extremely impatient. I've already created the fantasy in my head, lets go.

  While reading the Q & A section in the back of my copy, the Question of "What was the world-building process like for you?" really peaked my interest. As Bardugo comments, the history of Russia fell in place with the world building within Shadow & Bone so the two married well. The night and day differences between Grisha and normal people were similar to the wealth discrepancies that can be found across the world, but more effectively in a mostly modern country like Russia. Again, allowing the reader to make that connection on their own allows their minds to flourish what the setting is like, which I find really powerful in writing.

  As for the characters, I feel mostly hopeful for book 2. The Darkling is a stereotypical character that I love. Dark, mysterious, morally ambiguous. However, I think we only met the tip of the iceberg within this book, or at least I hope so because there is a lot of potential. Alina I like, she is naive, shy, and has general characteristics that oppose those of The Darkling, however I don't know if I feel connected to her. The relationship between her and Mal also doesn't feel very passionate. Alina's ability to let go of Mal and finally feel her power, fall for The Darkling, and then go back to Mal doesn't have enough passion. It could be because of Alina's naive and trusting nature, which may be beneficial later in the story as we see her and The Darkling together but it doesn't make the romance feel very real.

  That being said, I don't hate that there isn't a huge romantic connection because it allows the rest of the story to breathe. Not all good fantasy novels need a burning romance, sometimes they can be well written and about the pairing of good vs. evil. I very much look forward to the next book and can't wait to crack it open.

*There may be spoilers in this section of the review. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please stop reading.