Published: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt (Macmillan)
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 358 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: The Grisha Trilogy, #1
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.
Warning: this review contains excessive amounts of fanboying.
SHADOW AND BONE is an utterly mind-blowing and captivating debut that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It's now on my favorite books of all time list!
Alina... oh, what is there to say about our kick-butt protagonist? Alina is such a great and well-rounded character, which added to the epicness of this debut. I was always rooting for her and never once doubted her in any situation. The Darkling is an insane character: he's freaky, morbid, crazy, and fantastic. I can't figure out if he's a villain or good guy... gah, Leigh Bardugo has made amazing characters!
The writing style is brilliant. I was sucked into this culture of Russia and felt like I was walking around with these characters, and Bardugo has crafted together a mesmerizing and phenomenal world. Speaking of which, I absolutely adore the world of the Grisha! It's original and brilliant and there are not enough words to describe how much I loved the world... and this book.
If you think that YA is starting to repeat itself, you obviously haven't read SHADOW AND BONE. I have been pushing this novel onto everybody as of late, and I don't see that stopping anytime soon. The fact is, simply, that this novel is amazing. You will never find a book like this one, and if you have not picked it up yet, you must pick this up!
Overall, SHADOW AND BONE has become of my favorite novels ever. Mysterious, lush and gripping, SHADOW AND BONE is a must-read.
M Y R A T I N G:
Yay, you're making videos again:) WOW! I had no idea this book was that good. I've seen it around the blogosvere, but I never really felt the urge to pick it up. I'm so happy you liked it! I think I'm gonna read a sample or something and if I like it half as much as you did, I'm gonna order a HC for myself. This cover is prettaa-hhh!! Thanks so much for sharing, Brad! I hope you have a wonderful Sunday :)
ReplyDeleteSiiri @ Little Pieces of Imagination
Woohoo! This novel is SO SO SO GOOD! Hope you love it. Thanks so much for stopping by! :)
Delete-Brad