Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Shadow and Bone

Decidedly on the okay to meh spectrum..

The world building and magic system is interesting (if not semi-lazy with the quasi-Russian culture) but the characters are flat and one dimensional. I was waffling on whether or not to continue the series but the idea of what comes next from the main character's POV doesn't thrill me so I'll probably look up what happens instead.

It's bizarre that the main character starts out as an orphan from war (roughly 8 years old), and seems mature beyond her 17 years by the time the main story arc starts (she is an apprentice cartographer in the army), and then regresses into angsty teenager drama full of petty, juvenile, and shallow plot points because of a chosen one trope?

Lastly, the romance was bad. Both dudes are controlling and manipulative, want to possess her, don't actually care what she wants. Think of any high school romance drama and you will understand the tropes thrown in this book. There's literally a glow up/makeover scene (multiple times actually because they want to emphasize how much she's changed from the 'skinny-but-not-in-a-hot-way' person she was before).

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zoeelora's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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abigailnoack's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Shadow and Bone is a classic fantasy series. I have previously read the Six of Crows duology so I was already a bit familiar with the world. (Although I think reading this series for the knowledge of the Grisha would have been more helpful in reading Six of Crows, but alas, that did not happen.) Six of Crows is far superior in its writing, plot, and character development, but I don't want to spend this entire review comparing the two.

I thought it was interesting enough. The characters and plot were pretty good, but nothing really made it a stand out. It's a pretty typical girl discovering her powers, training, becoming a part of a new world, etc. I would have liked more consistent action - it doesn't really pick up till 3/4 of the way through, and by that point, I found it kind of anticlimactic

that we spend so much time with Mal and Alina tracking the Stag, and then they don't kill him and Alina becomes the Darkling's slave anyways. That kinda made me mad because what was the point?

I'm not team Mal or Darkling I guess. I am not here for the "mysterious-old-man-who-lives-a-long-life-is-suddenly-chatty-and-charming-when-he-meets-an-average-girl-whose-not-like-other-girls." I love friends to lovers so I should probably be on team Mal, but idk, I just didn't think he was developed enough, didn't fall for the chemistry, I'm not sure what, but it was missing something for me.

Also just want to point out that I still really hate it when authors don't do their research about horses. It's such a minor thing near the beginning, but as a horse person, it always bugs me when stuff isn't accurate. I've been riding for 9 years and I have never thought I could fall asleep on a moving horse, especially at a trot or canter, even more so if Alina isn’t a very good rider. If they travelled 200 miles on horseback, they would definitely need to switch out their horses several times. And if you’re double riding, the second rider is definitely not the one in control. Just small details, but they do matter when it comes to making an authentic believable story.

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booksxjournals's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

My main thought going into this book, is "what is the author gonna do with 240 pages??" I'm so used to fantasy being 400+ so I was really interested in seeing what could happen, and I'm proud to say that it did really well! I stayed up till 6am finishing this book, I couldn't put it down cuz I was at edge of my seat with those last 50 pages. I was so stressed for this one character I didn't even know I loved that much. Alina did feel I bit stereotypical to me, she's still likeable but I feel like maybe she could've been better? I don't know, but I enjoyed the book, it's an easy read! Can't wait to see this in live action~

Also I think I've been cursed, cuz all of my favorite characters in these fantasy novels end up being evil and betraying me, honestly I should've seen it coming... His character is being played by Ben Barnes, I should've known he was the villain. The hints were there. This does not mean I love him any less tho🤣🤣🤣

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