Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: #1 - Grisha Trilogy
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 5th, 2012
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 5th, 2012
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.
When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.
Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.
When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.
Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.
My Review:
Alina Starkov was one of those characters that I'm still not sure what to think of. There were times where I was proud of her and she was the strong female character that I like to read about and come to relate and get invested in. However, there were times where she was too self-centered, too unsure of what she was doing, too scared. There was something about her at times that I just didn't understand. She wants to do things and whats to help, but not until the end of the book does she actually act.
Mal and Alina have this relationship, as orphans, that from the start of the book I buy into. I just enjoyed how they acted around each other and most of all they seemed natural together. When the two were put into the fold and the true nature of Alina comes to light, literally, she's taken from Mal. The truth behind Alina, was interesting and kept the story going.
From the series though, I will be interested to see if there is a secret with Mal, one like Alina. That would make the story that much more interesting. And it would explain why he is able to track the things he is able to. Plus Mal in this book has some sort of mystery around him, he seems to show up at an odd time and help Alina.
The Darkling, that is another can of worms. I was curious to see if he was actually interested in Alina or if it was all an act. There was something in his eyes when he did look at Alina, and there was some parts of the look that he actually seemed like he would want to be with her. However, by the end of the book there was something completely different, there was a chaotic feeling that dwelt within him. I am curious to know more about the Darkling and what he's planning on doing next.
Finally the Grisha. The Grisha is an army of what I would call Wizards or Sorceress, but they are a bit different, all underneath the Darklings controll. There are different branches or divisions of the Grisha; Corporalki, Etherealki, and Materialki, all of which serve different purposes of the King and Darkling. The hard point of the book though was all the names, the names of towns and other extravagant serious titles. Get past all the hyper chaotic names and titles the book explodes into something worthy of reading and enjoying!
Mal and Alina have this relationship, as orphans, that from the start of the book I buy into. I just enjoyed how they acted around each other and most of all they seemed natural together. When the two were put into the fold and the true nature of Alina comes to light, literally, she's taken from Mal. The truth behind Alina, was interesting and kept the story going.
From the series though, I will be interested to see if there is a secret with Mal, one like Alina. That would make the story that much more interesting. And it would explain why he is able to track the things he is able to. Plus Mal in this book has some sort of mystery around him, he seems to show up at an odd time and help Alina.
The Darkling, that is another can of worms. I was curious to see if he was actually interested in Alina or if it was all an act. There was something in his eyes when he did look at Alina, and there was some parts of the look that he actually seemed like he would want to be with her. However, by the end of the book there was something completely different, there was a chaotic feeling that dwelt within him. I am curious to know more about the Darkling and what he's planning on doing next.
Finally the Grisha. The Grisha is an army of what I would call Wizards or Sorceress, but they are a bit different, all underneath the Darklings controll. There are different branches or divisions of the Grisha; Corporalki, Etherealki, and Materialki, all of which serve different purposes of the King and Darkling. The hard point of the book though was all the names, the names of towns and other extravagant serious titles. Get past all the hyper chaotic names and titles the book explodes into something worthy of reading and enjoying!
