Book Review of 'Shadow and Bone' by Leigh Bardugo
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.
Review:
The story of ‘Shadow and Bone’ takes place in an alternate tsarist Russia, known as Ravka, where the Grisha, an ancient order of powerful magicians, and the royal military coexist uneasily. Alina and Mal, orphans who had grown up in the estate of a kind duke, had been tested for an affinity for magic. When neither of them seem to have magic, Mal becomes a talented tracker, and Alina trains to be a cartographer for the army.
However, when crossing the Shadow Fold, a dark realm that divides Ravka in half, Alina discovers that she has a very rare and sought-after power she didn’t know she had, and the target of assassins and mercenaries. She’s taken away by the Grisha to be trained as one of them, led by the dangerous Darkling, who is second in power only to the king. Eventually, Alina finds herself in a tangled web of intrigue that could determine Ravka’s future.
Where do I start?
The beginning of the book was pretty slow. About 75% into the book, one of Alina’s mentors, Baghra, tells her something that makes Alina doubt her trust in the Darkling, and then she reacts immediately. (Sorry, that sentence was vague; I’m trying to keep this spoiler-free). First of all, Alina’s reaction seemed a bit unrealistic, considering that prior to that incident, she had trusted the Darkling completely and the Grisha completely, and the moment someone whispered a few accusations to her, she reacted immediately without really thinking about it. Not that it was a bad decision, but she’s often reckless.
The beginning of the book was pretty slow. About 75% into the book, one of Alina’s mentors, Baghra, tells her something that makes Alina doubt her trust in the Darkling, and then she reacts immediately. (Sorry, that sentence was vague; I’m trying to keep this spoiler-free). First of all, Alina’s reaction seemed a bit unrealistic, considering that prior to that incident, she had trusted the Darkling completely and the Grisha completely, and the moment someone whispered a few accusations to her, she reacted immediately without really thinking about it. Not that it was a bad decision, but she’s often reckless.
The worldbuilding was limited, and I think that with the setting of the palace, and all the royalty, the nobles, the dukes, etc, this book had the potential for political intrigue, but fell short.
As a main character, Alina was okay. She was rather insecure, and her character could’ve been written more in-depth, but hopefully, in the next couple books, she goes through character development. Additionally, she seemed to get into trouble a lot, and needed someone else to rescue her frequently.
This story isn’t really dark, but on the positive side, the book was a light, entertaining read, with several humorous parts. The descriptions were vivid, not overdone, and there’s even a map of Ravka (at least, in the copy of the book I had)!
Lastly, I’m doubtful of Baghra’s role in the plot. She tried to help Alina, and after that, she just disappeared for the rest of the story. Did she genuinely want to help? Did she have an ulterior motive? Whose side is she on? What happened to her after she disappeared? I was expecting more to her, but some of these questions will probably be answered later on in the series.
This book is for ages 13 and above, I’d recommend it to those who are looking for a light read and would enjoy the genre. This time, I'm being a little more picky, instead of doling out another one of my knee-jerk 4 stars. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
⭐⭐⭐
~ Candria
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EDIT: I originally rated this 3 stars, but I'm changing it to 4 stars because, after reading all the books, it's actually better in retrospect, so: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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