Monday, July 15, 2013

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
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?

I love reading fantasy. I can tell you without hesitating that fantasy is my favorite genre. I love the way it makes my imagination work and how it takes me far away from here. Shadow and Bone certainly took me on a journey but not without bumps in the road. 

When I read a fantasy book I like to submerge in its word, I want to feel like I belong in it. With Shadow and Bone I felt like I was looking from the outside in. I can probably say that part of it was my fault. I started Shadow and Bone a few months back and then stopped. I think I had to review another book or something. But I liked the portion I read from it but not enough to go back to it. I thought I wasn't going to finish reading so I read some spoilers and I found out who the bad guy was and how the book ended. The surprise Element was out. I know I did that to myself. Spoilers are evil but so good. So that’s that. 

Another thing that would not let me enjoy the book completely were some of the Russian terms for the different kinds of Grishas. I was so lost. I’m embarrassed to say it actually. Everybody gets it why couldn’t I? Maybe the terms weren’t explained right or enough? I feel like I have to defend my brains right now. You are judging me. Stop it! Just Kidding. Or not. I’m actually pretty good with made up words and maps and whatnot. But I just COULDN’T do it with this book. If there’s someone out there who understood the terms from Shadow and Bone please explain them to me. 

What made this book worth reading were the characters! Alina is kick ass and I get her. I understood her character and the decisions she made. Mal was cute and I wish he had more time in the spotlight. I didn't connect with his character 100%. But I enjoyed whenever he made an appearance. Maybe he'll get to be a proper main character in the sequel. Genya my favorite character! I definitely want to see more of her and her gift. I liked The Darkling but not as much as some people did.

I think it was a good read and although I could't fully connect with the Grisha world, once you get into the book you want to know what happens next. The plot is not really complicated. I also read a short story about Genya called The Tailor and I LOVED it. I recommend reading it after Shadow and Bone because there’s a big spoiler there. 


2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed Shadow and Bone but I got into it fast and hated the one time I had to put it down and go to work :)

    And I had to refer back to the front of the book a few times to straighten out exactly which of the Grisha did what but I also liked that it wasn't a huge part of the plot.

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  2. I just read this book last week and I thought basically the exact same thing. I was so into the Darkling until a certain point, and then I switched to loving Mal. He's so sweet! I thought it was really neat to see Alina grow into herself as a person as well. Oh, and I agree, Ed Westwick would be PERFECT.

    Zaira Lynn (Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska)

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