kesseibi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
eener's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
The concept is interesting, but the actual book is a major let down. I read summaries of the rest of the books in the series bc I was curious how the story would actually play out, and...
Spoiler
this first book ends with a big disappointing cliff hanger, and even reading the summary of the whole story arc felt like a depressing waste of time, just my personal opinion!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Classism
bamadama's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
rachelpatterstock's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
artiereadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
atris_lauraborealis's review against another edition
4.0
Man, I'm a slow reader and I read this in two days!
I really enjoyed this book, it was different than most other YA fantasy I've read. It's set in an entirely different world with a very Cyrillic feel. It's almost like a Russian Harry Potter with a very very dark side (In fact, I was kind of surprised this is considered YA).
One thing I loved was that instead of slowing drawing the reader into the protagonist's pining love interest, you're dropped right into the center of it and the story instead follows the protagonist's journey of growing up, and growing out of love. It'll strike a chord with anyone who has had to let a love go, been spurned, or suddenly discovered a love they didn't know they had.
And yet...the book isn't about love, which is something I find remarkable. The story truly focuses NOT on the love life of the protagonist, but instead on the struggle of the protagonist to find herself amidst a society that keeps trying to tell her where she fits in.
I really enjoyed this book, it was different than most other YA fantasy I've read. It's set in an entirely different world with a very Cyrillic feel. It's almost like a Russian Harry Potter with a very very dark side (In fact, I was kind of surprised this is considered YA).
One thing I loved was that instead of slowing drawing the reader into the protagonist's pining love interest, you're dropped right into the center of it and the story instead follows the protagonist's journey of growing up, and growing out of love. It'll strike a chord with anyone who has had to let a love go, been spurned, or suddenly discovered a love they didn't know they had.
And yet...the book isn't about love, which is something I find remarkable. The story truly focuses NOT on the love life of the protagonist, but instead on the struggle of the protagonist to find herself amidst a society that keeps trying to tell her where she fits in.
ksneijaaaaa's review against another edition
3.0
Something was missing for me, like it was moving too fast and sooooo fucking slow. I enjoyed the story and will read the other ones but i really hope the writing and pace get better
diadiscovers's review against another edition
3.0
I was starting Shadow and Bone on Netflix and thought I should read the book at the same time. Then I came on here and saw all the low ratings and was confused. I'm definitely surprised that the series is not exactly like the book, which is a good kind of surprise.
I finished the book fairly quickly, in about 4 hours. It was easy to read and it was also enjoyable. I wasn't reading just for the sake of reading or to get to the end. It feels like the first book is mainly for world building, there is a little plot but I would say that it's a character driven story as we watch the protagonist grow into her own person. Some of the characters do feel shallow and perhaps we could have been introduced to them a lot more. I don't understand the low ratings, there's definitely books that are a lot worse out there.
I finished the book fairly quickly, in about 4 hours. It was easy to read and it was also enjoyable. I wasn't reading just for the sake of reading or to get to the end. It feels like the first book is mainly for world building, there is a little plot but I would say that it's a character driven story as we watch the protagonist grow into her own person. Some of the characters do feel shallow and perhaps we could have been introduced to them a lot more. I don't understand the low ratings, there's definitely books that are a lot worse out there.