Overall Rating: 5/5 stars!
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.
NOTE: this review MAY contain spoilers. Take caution as you read.
Review:
Leigh Bardugo will go places with her skill to write so vividly and creatively to weave a beautiful story plot such as Shadow and Bone. Leigh Bardugo starts the story right into the world of Shadow and Bone, letting the reader absorb as much information of the story as possible. The world of Grisha is unique in all its way: the setting, wardrobe, language and naming of characters (how can one not love its originality?)
Alina Starkvov, the heroine of Shadow and Bone. However, Alina isn’t your typical heroine in a fantasy novel such as this. It is easy to relate to Alina because she has so much emotions that the readers could feel into. The feeling that she does not belong anywhere because she grew up as an orphan and even with her best friend right next to her, she still felt alone because growing up, she would feel that they would sometimes drift apart.
“I hesitated by the door. This was the hardest part of being around him—other than the way he made my heart do clumsy acrobatics. I hated hiding how much the stupid things he did hurt me, but I hated the idea of him finding out even more”
-Shadow and Bone, pg. 22
This quotation is an example of the many relatable things I could feel with Alina. Sure, almost every young adult novel has this unrequited love thing going on but the way Leigh Bardugo wrote this statement and built this friendship, is another aspect that stands out from the novel.
Graphic owned by: me (I made this, originally posted in the Shadow and Bone fansite)
“I’ll meet you in the meadow”
-Shadow and Bone, pg. 33’
Just wanted to fan-girl a bit and express how much reading that one short sentence truly tugged at my heartstrings. I think right at this moment, Malyen Oretsev owned by heart… except, well after I’ve met the Darkling.
The Darkling’s character was very, very intriguing. I truly love this part of the book the most. The way Leigh Bardugo made the Darkling as suspicious as possible, however, giving enough information so that we could understand what’s going on. Also, making him so "loveable" but giving us all the reason and making it impossible for us readers to suddenly hate him.
“Why can a Grisha possess but one amplifier? I will answer this question instead: what is infinite? The universe and the greed of men”
-Shadow and Bone, pg. 173
Gah! That line was such a beautiful foreshadowing. And I think the most twisted part about this whole thing is that, even after everything that the Darkling did, it seems as if it is truly impossible to hate him.
Last but not the least, Malyen Oretsev. Alina Starkov’s best friend. It is impossible not to love this guy as much as it is impossible to hate the Darkling. He is charming and every girl will truly fall in love with him. Their backstory of growing up together is something that I’ve rarely seen occurring in young adult novels these days.
“It’s probably for the best. I told myself, how would I have said goodbye to Mal anyway? Thanks for being my best friend and making my life bearable. Oh and sorry I fell in love with you for a while there. Make sure you write!”
Hahahaha, I would STILL laugh each time I read that.
Shadow and Bone may appear to be just a historical, fantasy, warrior-like novel but at its heart it is a novel of love and growing up, as she comes to understand things of herself and everyone around her. Finally, Leigh Bardugo’s style of writing, the character progression, plot progression, the plot itself, the world of Grisha, just every aspect of the novel truly calls out for a 5/5 stars! It is unlike anything young adult book that I’ve read. Just make sure that you are ready to have your mind blasted will all the unexpected events to come and take good care of your heart as you read through because I think mine is beyond repair after finishing the book—I must, must read the sequel!
Happy Reading Everybody!
Other Favorite Quotations:
· “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Alina” –pg. 172
· “But I will trade it all to spend an afternoon skipping stones with you at Trivka’s pond.” –pg. 177
· Mal: “Madam’s spirits have been restored! The sun can once more shine!”… Alina: “Oh will you shut up?” –pg. 14
· “you know I’d be lost without you” … “you’ve never been lost in your life”… “you know what I mean”
· “I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I’d catch myself walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I’ve seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I’d realize that you weren’t there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I’ve risked my life for you. I’ve walked half the length if Ravka for you, and I’d do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don’t tell me we don’t belong together,” he said fiercely. He was very close to me now, and my heart was suddenly hammering in my chest. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now” –pg. 298
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