Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo site
Format: ARC, 358 pages
Release Date: 6/03/2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillian)
Source: Received from publisher for review
“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.”
Basic Synopsis:
Alina and Mal
have been best friends since they were very young, orphaned by a centuries old
war. Although she wishes they were more, Mal is oblivious to her feelings. In
an emergency situation she accidentally reveals the power she didn’t know she
had. She is the long awaited Sun Summoner, a Grisha. The only one who can
destroy the Fold. She is whisked away from Mal and taken to the King’s Palace
to live with the other Grisha and learn to use her power.
Characters:
Alina was
very likable. She’s witty, humble, and self confident with a strong moral
compass. She’s just trying to find her place in the world, trying to find where
she belongs. Alina and Mal were really funny together. The banter between them
was actually believable, not the usual obviously scripted repartee.
Plot and Story:
For awhile it
looked like this book was going to be imaginative, but predictable. All of the
pieces were fitting together into the assumed puzzle when BOOM! Out of the
blue, there’s a really big twist that I didn’t see coming. Huge game changer. It
totally knocked my socks off. (Not that I was wearing any) And basically right
there and then, my liking of this book went from 3.5 stars to 5 full blown
freaking stars.
What really
sets this book apart from other fantasy novels is the superb world building. I
was instantly immersed in this fantasy world that could be set in the very distant
past or future. And it was incredibly easy to understand what was going on. I
really liked how the language and terms were drawn from foreign languages such
as Russian.
Overall:
I honestly
wasn’t expecting to love this book so much. I didn’t even request the ARC, I
just ended up on a bulk mailing list and got it by surprise. I had it sitting
on my shelf for a long time, and then realized it was going to be released soon
and thought I should get to it. I wish I would have read this book months ago!
It was really a splendid read! I have no hesitation giving it 5 of 5 stars. I
highly recommend checking it out from your local library or going to your local indie bookstore and picking up
a copy.
After about five pages, I realized I was wrong. The writing is well paced with wonderfully developed characters. The heroine was likable and relatable even though she is "special". Even though the world building is complex and unique to anything that I have read, I was able to follow without getting lost in a sea of confusing descriptions. The key to this book is that, not only is it an awesome story, it is really well written as well. The villain in this book is so well done that I almost want to cheer for him. I have not been anticipating a sequel to a series this much in a long time. As other reviewers stated, this book is highly addictive. Once I started reading, I really did not want to stop. To me, this is a sign of a good book.
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