mythicsage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Slavery
Minor: Abandonment, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Rape, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia
toastyghosty13's review against another edition
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 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
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
i am surprised at
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.
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 baddySpoiler
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.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping, Torture, Murder, Blood, Animal death, War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual harassment, and Fire/Fire injury
zoejjj's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Reading this for the first time in 2023 is such a fun trip because this book is the PINNACLE of 2014 writing. From the “she’s not as pretty as other girls” to the hot, powerful guy being being uncontrollably in love with her - it’s such a throwback.
Having read the author’s more current books (ninth house gave me abs from how tense I was) it’s so interesting to see where she started. This book is fun when you don’t take it too seriously and you just let it be a ya fantasy. The bones of it are fantastic. Overall, good book even if I’m not sure I’d re read it
Having read the author’s more current books (ninth house gave me abs from how tense I was) it’s so interesting to see where she started. This book is fun when you don’t take it too seriously and you just let it be a ya fantasy. The bones of it are fantastic. Overall, good book even if I’m not sure I’d re read it
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Sexual harassment, War, Toxic relationship, and Torture
onalark's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, War, and Gore
Minor: Torture and Death
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Abandonment, Body horror, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Death of parent, Racism, and Xenophobia
Relationship (explicitly unhealthy/abusive) between teenager and character who appears around the same age, but is 100+.cecinamo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
It was a very good book! I loved the Darkling and Alina banter. xD It was a very easy and fast read. I was done with it in a few hours. :>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
theblushbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
There’s something about a series that just pulls me in. Maybe it’s the cliffhanger ending, maybe the greater opportunity for world building, but they always capture my attention. You’ll love Shadow and Bone if you’re a fantasy person or if you’re just seeking the high of a series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, and Sexual harassment
onefineelephant's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
7/10. I think the magic system and even the political system are interesting. However, I usually hate love triangles and this is no exception. I typically love the friends-to-lovers trope but Mal kind of sucks at the beginning. Like, who would sleep with a ton of girls when you're actually in love with your best friend the whole time?? I like Mal more by the end. Also, them confessing their feelings wasn't satisfying at all and fell kind of flat. I think that the character of the Darkling is super fascinating and complex, which I love. I am not a fan of Alina which is really unfortunate because she's the main character - but this is because she is TOO MUCH of a main character. She just wants to fit in when she clearly is unique, she is a peasant in high society, she only has one friend and doesn't get along with other girls (aka she's not like other girls), and she won't kill when it is absolutely necessary. The dialogue is kind of so bad that it's good. Like it's very bad but most of the time it made me laugh because of how bad it is instead of making me say "this is stupid." The ending was awful, in my opinion. I know there are more books in the series but the events of the last 50 pages made me say "what the f is this?" about 8 times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Self harm and suicidal ideation are mentioned but not acted on. Also, there is an attempted sexual assault but it does not progress further.montybonty's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I saw this book on TikTok and it was seemingly hyped as one of the best. I figured it was good enough to get a Netflix adaptation so I read it (still haven't seen the adaptation fyi so it's not impacting this review).
Listen, the story was fine, the characters were likable enough, yadda yada...However, oh my god was it predictable. If you know the hero's journey, you know this book basically.
There wasn't anything I was really shocked about and thus, I found it pretty mindless to read. It was good popcorn reading and I'll pry read the rest of the trilogy for good measure but it wasn't a large joy to read it.
Also, the pacing felt very odd and definitely contributed to the 'just okay'-ness of the book. It felt like we spent ages in one section and nothing of note really happened until the near end which felt a bit like it came out of left field and I feel like if I looked harder I could easily find plot holes yk?
Regardless, okay book.
Listen, the story was fine, the characters were likable enough, yadda yada...However, oh my god was it predictable. If you know the hero's journey, you know this book basically.
There wasn't anything I was really shocked about and thus, I found it pretty mindless to read. It was good popcorn reading and I'll pry read the rest of the trilogy for good measure but it wasn't a large joy to read it.
Also, the pacing felt very odd and definitely contributed to the 'just okay'-ness of the book. It felt like we spent ages in one section and nothing of note really happened until the near end which felt a bit like it came out of left field and I feel like if I looked harder I could easily find plot holes yk?
Regardless, okay book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Blood
Minor: Death, Sexual harassment, and War
kat_andherbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
it's 6 in the morning, I haven't slept and I'm bawling my eyes out over Mal's letters. given that it was written in 2012, I'll cut it some slack, but Alina is wayyy too predictable for my liking. I hate the typical love triangle with the best friend and the bad guy, she's giving off big pick me energy. I love Mal, he's really sweet and he definitely deserves better. Alina's narrative is too tiring for me, her inner monologue seems repetitive and it's tiresome.
I'm not as eager to get into the next book as I'd thought I would be :/
I'm not as eager to get into the next book as I'd thought I would be :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Torture, and Grief
Moderate: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment