From Goodreads:

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

Shadow and Bone is the first book in the Grisha Trilogy, and I’m pleased to say I finally got around to reading it! I’m only a few years behind the times here…

Overall, this was a fun read that I really enjoyed. I read it in a few hours in one sitting. Whilst the main character didn’t really win me over, all the other characters did, as did the world that Leigh Bardugo built. Much like Nevernight, I’m annoyed I didn’t read this sooner! Next time a book is everywhere, and super popular, I plan to find out why much sooner that I have been.

The Characters

Alina – She was a little bit annoying at first, but I eventually found it within me to like her. She spent a little bit too much time saying she wasn’t pretty, saying she didn’t deserve anything that was happening. It was a tad stereotypical, but it wasn’t over the top, and I still managed to enjoy her story, nonetheless.

The Darkling – Yep, this is my favourite character. I’m obviously not sure what happens in future books, but I feel like this isn’t a character that should be my favourite? I’ve always been the one to like the bad boy though. It’s definitely a fault I’ve got! He’s a great bad guy, and whilst I should’ve expected it, I didn’t quite realise how bad. I went into this book knowing he was the bad guy, but I didn’t know how.

Mal – Aww, Mal. He was cute, and genuine, and I felt a little sorry for him. I also spent far too much of the book worrying about him! Whilst The Darkling might be my favourite, Mal has a place in my heart too. I’m curious about him and any undiscovered talents he might have. There’s more to that tracking power than meets the eye.

The World

Now, this was interesting, and I’m glad the copy I read had a map so I could understand it a little more. It’s an interesting premise, a darkness full of monsters killing anything that might come near. All created using the abilities of an extremely powerful Grisha. I’m interested to find out more about the other Grisha. We only see a hint of what they can do in this book. Even when we did see it, it’s mostly for show. I’m intrigued to know what the Grisha can do on a true battlefield, what the different Summoners can do and what other powers might yet be revealed. The whole magic behind it all is fresh and fun, and I can’t wait to find out more about it!

Would I read it again? Yeah, I probably would. I feel like I could’ve missed some details in my eagerness to find out what happens next.

Will I be picking up the next in the series? Yep, maybe not instantly, but it’ll certainly be read within the next few months.

Would I recommend it? If you’re anything like me, you won’t care whether it’s been recommended or not. You’ll be curious why this book is literally everywhere and have to read it to find out why. If you’re like me up until a few days ago and haven’t read it, then go for it. At least you’ll know what everyone is talking about!

Is it going on my favourites shelf? No, I don’t think so. I don’t think a book where the main character wasn’t my favourite can go on that shelf. I’m still going to rave about it though, because I love The Darkling.

Originally posted at A Reading Brit  

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Created Feb 24, 2019 at 5:39am • Submit your own review...