Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Shadow and Bone

This book made me feel more than any book has made me feel in a long time. The idea of the book is amazing and the execution is perfect. I loved the writing style.

Content Warnings

toastyghosty13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense 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

3.0

i watched part of the netflix series last year and then stopped close to the end of the first season once i learned it was based on a book series. i liked the series enough and adore ben barnes so i kept it on my TBR list.

i did really enjoy this and found it difficult to put down once i picked it up. it took me about 2 days to read through it completely. there are twists and turns, plus the world is so interesting that i just want to learn more.

i will say that i found alina a bit annoying in the book but loved her in the show. she seemed so self conscious in the book which irked me because the actress in the show is so full of confidence and did a great job.

i also feel critical of the differences between the tv show and book versions of mal and the darkling.

the darkling in the show was much more interesting to me as a character, but quite bland for me in the book. in the show it was not as obvious that

Spoiler

he’s the baddy

but in the book it was practically screaming that with every appearance he made. in the show, i wanted to see more of the darkling

Spoiler

and was actually surprised and upset that he ended up being evil. i am still holding out hope for a redemption in the rest of the tv series, though i’m also not sure that i care that much about him in the book besides being curious about what his fate is after being left in the fold. i’m also wondering if there is some bigger motive or player behind all of this.

for mal, i found him extremely annoying in the show and much more endearing in the book. i wanted to see more of mal in the book and would groan whenever i saw him in the show. at the very least, this makes me excited for the next book with the way this one left off.

i was also frustrated that

Spoiler

there was no mention of how if you spare the life of the stag it could grant you a wish. i was fully expecting that to happen as the main solution to alina wearing the collar rather than some self realization that she could have made at any time prior to entering the fold. it felt a little cheap as the big hero moment that turns the tides.

i am surprised at

Spoiler

how many of the soldiers and grisha knew about the darklings plans and just went along with it. you would think some would be adverse to war, or even just attempt to stage a coup if they were so unhappy with the way the king rules. instead, they chose to completely wipe out a city of innocent people and will probably be at fault and responsible for the death and gruesome demise of countless others.

overall i did enjoy this but not as much as i thought i would. i have plenty of complaints about the characters and plot. however, i am still fully invested and plan on reading all of the books from the series and the two spin-off series’. it is still absolutely worth the time and is an exciting story that is difficult to pause once you have begun.

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discogecko's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

abookwormspov's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.5

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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.0

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thebookaddict's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

It is an amazing book and you will read it at a quick pace. I absolutely addored it and can't wait to read the other parts 😯

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effy's review against another edition

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3.25

I went into this book with such low expectations as it feels like everyone says to skip this trilogy and go straight into Six of Crows.

I ended-up being really pleasantly surprised as we had an interesting cast of characters and a magic system that felt fresh. The only thing that I did not enjoy was the romance between

Spoiler

Mal and Alina

as it felt forced by also

Spoiler

whilst not biologically related, they had been raised as siblings and that just felt uncomfortable.

I did feel somewhat confused by how this series was going to be a trilogy as I was reading because there didn't seem to be enough story for 3 books.

Favourite quote:

Spoiler
Fine! Make me your villain!

Content Warnings

noxygens's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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