Title: Shadow and Bone
Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy (or Grisha Trilogy), Book 1
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Dark Fantasy
Told: First Person (Alina), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, sensuality, animal hunting and death)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:
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.
* * *
Series: This is the first book in The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, also known as the Grisha Trilogy, and the first series in the Grishaverse.
I originally read this when it released in 2012 and recall really enjoying it, but although I collected the original paperbacks I never got around to continuing the series (not uncommon with me). When I recently felt the need for a fantasy read I decided it was time to finally finish this now classic series, but to my disappointment that ambition is not meant to be.
Shadow and Bone began strong with eloquent writing, an exotic setting, and interesting magic, and I was thoroughly engaged by Alina's rise from ordinary orphan to powerful savior. But although her journey was relatable, it quickly became clear that she was too simple for such an epic story, her naivete and lack of ambition holding the story back from exploring its full potential.
And then came the trek. As soon as Alina started running the story took a long, dull turn, the eloquent writing I had originally enjoyed becoming paragraph after paragraph of unending flora and fauna and walking and eating and sleeping with little active distraction. Even Mal's addition did little to perk it up, and I had to read in short bursts since my mind tended to wander after too long. Finally the Darkling returned and revived some of the tension, but by then I'd lost almost all interest in the story's outcome and counted the pages until the end.
The climax was brief and, despite a lot of action, sadly anticlimactic as Alina's cowardly running continued with no sign of stopping when she hit the second book. After perusing reviews of the rest of the trilogy I've decided I have little interest in continuing what sounds like more of the same and will sadly not be reading Alina's story any further.
Conclusion: Although originally a favorite back in 2012, it seems my tastes have evolved over the years on a diet of much better reads as this time I had to force myself to finish. While it started strong with an engaging setting, writing, and magic, Alina was too simple for the epic story and once she started running she and the story lost all luster. If you enjoy your dark fantasies epic and don't mind your main characters on the cowardly side then you might want to give Shadow and Bone a try.
For Fans Of: Kingdom on Fire Series by Jessica Cluess (review links below)
Scribble Rating:
2.5 of 5 Scribbles
Other Reviews That Might Interest:
A Shadow Bright & Burning by Jessica Cluess
A Poison Dark & Drowning by Jessica Cluess
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