rpmrangers's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
battlecat's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
marie07's review against another edition
1.5
This book showed me that it's not YA as a genre that I dislike but simply that YA authors are most of the time fucking terrible. Like the premise and the writing was fine, and yeah sure I fucking hate a love triangle as much as the next person (especially when it's done as badly as this one -like I dont care if you're into the villain usually I eat that shit up but then you also have to fucking commit to it, not this wishy-washy bullshit), but this book made me so mad and frustrated. What kept throwing me out of the story was my annoyance with how the author is "betraying" or manipulating the reader. Like oh she gets this mysterious book from this mysterious person who tries to talk to her about something mysterious, but sure, she doesn't touch the book and runs away from any conversation and then later -oh wonder, oh wonder- it turns out this would've been important but now she won't find out until it's (almost) too late to make it interesting. Or she's running away and her unique power is the only way to identify her, but sure the instance she has to defend herself (against a weak, drunk dude) she immediately uses that power instead of ALL the martial arts training she had, that wouldn't have given her away. Or oh no, someone evil has her in his control and will use her to destroy the world and there is nothing she can do - until of course in the last second where nothing changes but she suddenly *realizes* that actually no, he doesn't have her in his control. I could keep on and on with listing shit like that, and seriously come on. The only actual enemy in this book is the main character herself, but actually that's not quite true because what makes it clear that the author is the problem -and what also keeps throwing me out of the story - is that the problem is not (only) that the MC is stupid, because with all of these things she does realize immediately that something is up, she knows there's something going on with the book and the dude trying to talk to her, she immediately feels like there is something she isn't seeing with the being controlled thing - so clearly that's not the problem, but it's the author that doesn't "let" her continue this thought until the veeery last moment. And sorry, but if shit like this is the only way you can keep your book interesting, I hate to break it to you but you're simply not a good author, YA or not.
pinofomoh's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emezia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lostinwater's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
vasvas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
tiffyofthemonts's review against another edition
3.0
After ten thousand Tumblr picture sets and countless playlists made in honor of Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy, I finally bit the bullet and committed myself to yet another YA fantasy series.
Unpopular opinion time: I didn't love this book. It's my fault, really. Actually, no. I take that back. It's Leigh Bardugo's fault for making me fall so in love with the villain of the story that the real love interest never had a fighting chance. Sorry I'm not sorry.
That being said, the story itself was beyond clever. I secretly pride myself on being able to spot plot twists and unoriginal storylines from a mile away, but Leigh Bardugo was always two steps ahead of me, and it's refreshing when a YA fantasy novel like this doesn't fall neatly into the same hackneyed structure that so many others do.
I do think the pacing in Shadow and Bone was a little bit off. Parts of the story dragged on, while others needed to be drawn out more than they were. I wish there had been a more measured buildup between Alina and the Darkling, and even between Alina and her best friend Mal. Each of these relationships had twists and turns that didn't feel as organic as I would have liked.
Things with the Darkling moved so quickly – he was with Alina, protecting her, spending time with her, and then he was gone for weeks at a time, and then he was back for a second, and then gone again. I would have liked to see their dynamic explored more gradually. The Darkling may be the most complex character in the book, and yet, so much of what we learn about him is discovered secondhand only – through other people's conversations with Alina, rather than through his own actions and words. It was hard for me to reconcile my first impression of him with the information I found out later.
There's one page in the book that caught me by surprise and made me want to sit and read it again and again and try to figure out these characters and who they really are and what they're thinking. I haven't quite gotten it yet, but I do love the concept – of our own memories and desires coloring our perception of people and making us look back and wonder if anything was real at all:
I'm not sure why these few sentences hit me so hard, when there are so many other moments that are written even more beautifully: Alina's description of the Darkling's soul. Mal's certainty of Alina. Mal's impassioned speeches (he's talkative, that one). I guess it just reminds me of unfinished business, of what if?, of this weird need I've always had to strip people down to their core and see them for who they are. I can't help but hope that there is some degree of realness behind a person's facade.
My sole consolation is that Leigh Bardugo says in her acknowledgments: "I blame Gamynne Guillote for fostering my megalomania and encouraging my love of villains." Which just means that she loves this villain as much as I do. So I can only hope that the next two books in the series are more satisfying in regards to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
More reviews, including this one, on my blog: Bookplates for Brunch.
Unpopular opinion time: I didn't love this book. It's my fault, really. Actually, no. I take that back. It's Leigh Bardugo's fault for making me fall so in love with the villain of the story that the real love interest never had a fighting chance. Sorry I'm not sorry.
That being said, the story itself was beyond clever. I secretly pride myself on being able to spot plot twists and unoriginal storylines from a mile away, but Leigh Bardugo was always two steps ahead of me, and it's refreshing when a YA fantasy novel like this doesn't fall neatly into the same hackneyed structure that so many others do.
I do think the pacing in Shadow and Bone was a little bit off. Parts of the story dragged on, while others needed to be drawn out more than they were. I wish there had been a more measured buildup between Alina and the Darkling, and even between Alina and her best friend Mal. Each of these relationships had twists and turns that didn't feel as organic as I would have liked.
Things with the Darkling moved so quickly – he was with Alina, protecting her, spending time with her, and then he was gone for weeks at a time, and then he was back for a second, and then gone again. I would have liked to see their dynamic explored more gradually. The Darkling may be the most complex character in the book, and yet, so much of what we learn about him is discovered secondhand only – through other people's conversations with Alina, rather than through his own actions and words. It was hard for me to reconcile my first impression of him with the information I found out later.
There's one page in the book that caught me by surprise and made me want to sit and read it again and again and try to figure out these characters and who they really are and what they're thinking. I haven't quite gotten it yet, but I do love the concept – of our own memories and desires coloring our perception of people and making us look back and wonder if anything was real at all:
I remembered his perfect face in the lamplight, his stunned expression, his rumpled hair. … I could still feel his warm breath on my neck, hear his whisper in my ear. The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.
I'm not sure why these few sentences hit me so hard, when there are so many other moments that are written even more beautifully: Alina's description of the Darkling's soul. Mal's certainty of Alina. Mal's impassioned speeches (he's talkative, that one). I guess it just reminds me of unfinished business, of what if?, of this weird need I've always had to strip people down to their core and see them for who they are. I can't help but hope that there is some degree of realness behind a person's facade.
My sole consolation is that Leigh Bardugo says in her acknowledgments: "I blame Gamynne Guillote for fostering my megalomania and encouraging my love of villains." Which just means that she loves this villain as much as I do. So I can only hope that the next two books in the series are more satisfying in regards to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
More reviews, including this one, on my blog: Bookplates for Brunch.
ccash1's review against another edition
4.0
3.7/5
Ok wow. i have a lot of thoughts on this book (as you probably saw from my many updates). THERE ARE SPOILERS IN HERE. so here goes:
LIKED:
Alina: liked the whole classic regular girl to badass superhero storyline. especially because alina was already kind of a badass (note the way she stood up for herself in the beginning when the dude ran into her).
Darkling: yeah i loved him. definitely my fav character. i was very sad that he turned out to be evil, but it was still a good twist. i really grew to like him. although his “attraction” to her was very sudden (note my update about the first time he kissed her), but i guess that somewhat makes sense since he never liked her— or did he? i dont think so but that would have been kinda cool— if like in the unsea on the boat he was like alina it wasn’t all a lie!!! (i mean it wouldn’t make him not a butthead but like would have been nice— even if it is cliche) I’m guessing that he’s not dead since there are two more books
the fantasy storyline— i love me a good fantasy story and this one was pretty good. while not very well explained its still a good idea.
david and genya: i liked that genya liked a nerdy not very attractive guy and he didn’t even seem to like her. it was very cool and unusual
zoya: ok i actually really liked her character. i mean i didn’t like her, but i liked her use. the whole alina was jealous of her and then she was jealous of her was cool
map: i love books that have maps in them. i referred back to it many times and it was fun to look at and helpful to visualize the story more.
also i have this book autographed so it made me feel cool so i liked that
DISLIKED: (this list will be longer bc i notice the things i dont like in good books— i still liked it!)
emotions: ok the emotions were weird. they flip-flopped so quickly. like alina was just all over the place. i understand that she was mad at the Darkling but she really liked him and totally would have thought about him more as she was running away. i mourned the darkling more than alina did. also, with genya. when genya first came in, they acted like they didn’t like each other at all and then they were suddenly close friends? i liked their friendship but it happened in a weird way. and then later alina says that she didn’t even know if they were ever really friends and i was like what? that was super weird bc they seemed pretty close and they trusted each other a lot so i dont see why they wouldnt be friends. there were many other examples of these weird sudden w/ no explanation emotion changes too
Mal and Alina’s relationship: ok b4 u hate me i only hated parts of it. i like the idea of them being together a lot and I’m glad they got together in the end bc they are meant to be. but they had a lot to talk about. they couldn’t just be together they needed to talk about a lot. for example, why he ignored alina for such a long time— i guess its bc he took her for granted but he should explain that to her bc she liked him for years and years and years. also they should have talked more about why he was so sad i mean ik it was bc his friends died but like his grief just kinda went away after he told her that and thats not how it works. idk i just feel like they had a lot to talk about before jumping into a relationship. if they would have talked and then dated it would have been perfect.
zoya: yeah she’s down here too. i wish something would have happened with her on the boat in the unsea. a lil confrontation, or even just like her being there looking at alina as alina killed them or something. idk she just didn’t have an ending. of course maybe its because she comes back later in the trilogy but if not then she didn’t really have an ending and i liked her character so i think she deserved an ending. IDEA: darkiling didn’t die and tries to get zoya to replace alina. that’d b good.
overall characters weren’t utilized to their full potential
power thing: ok what the heck to the heck was with this. dont get me wrong i loved that she got those powers, just not the way that it happened. i dont think a realization should have had that much of an effect. i mean she gained her power back AND discovered the cut power? i liked that she got the cut power bc its something she was so afraid of and it showed that she was dangerous. but u dont get that much of an advantage just from a revelation. nope. sorry. maybe like the stag could have reincarnated (why not) and done something. idk but something more concrete needed to happen in order to cause that much of a change.
the huge scene: referring to when alina got her powers. ok loved this scene and how cool it was, but would have liked more description of what was happening like the setting and everything.
missing information: AH THERE WAS SO MUCH I WANTED MORE INFORMATION ON!!!!!! so many things that could have been super cool stories. FOR EXAMPLE: gimme more info on how the darkling was always the darkling!! how old is he really? stuff like that. i get that baghra was trying to hurry but gimme more info— u can’t just spring that ur his mom on me and then leave! like tell me more abt her and how she raised him and stuff thats interesting! also the whole saint deal? how they worship the saints? gimme more info on that! like alina went to mass, but it worshiped the saints instead i think? are they the christian saints or nah? like thats interesante giive me more on that. also tell more about the volcras! what did they look like exactly? ik they had wings and wonky eyes but give me more bro. and who exactly were they, and tell me about the darkling turning them into the volcras.
more description: overall would have liked more description about the setting and where they were. loved the map and it was useful, but i didn’t always understand where they were still.
lack of explanation: didn’t ever get a full description on a lot of the titles, like things about grisha jobs were not fully explained. i thought the beginning was slow but maybe its bc i was trying to figure out what everyone was, and toward the middle i started just reading over the weird words.
OVERALL enjoyed this book and read it quickly. slow beginning but enjoyable. will be reading the next book. was flawed but liked it a lot. good fantasy book.
Ok wow. i have a lot of thoughts on this book (as you probably saw from my many updates). THERE ARE SPOILERS IN HERE. so here goes:
LIKED:
Alina: liked the whole classic regular girl to badass superhero storyline. especially because alina was already kind of a badass (note the way she stood up for herself in the beginning when the dude ran into her).
Darkling: yeah i loved him. definitely my fav character. i was very sad that he turned out to be evil, but it was still a good twist. i really grew to like him. although his “attraction” to her was very sudden (note my update about the first time he kissed her), but i guess that somewhat makes sense since he never liked her— or did he? i dont think so but that would have been kinda cool— if like in the unsea on the boat he was like alina it wasn’t all a lie!!! (i mean it wouldn’t make him not a butthead but like would have been nice— even if it is cliche) I’m guessing that he’s not dead since there are two more books
the fantasy storyline— i love me a good fantasy story and this one was pretty good. while not very well explained its still a good idea.
david and genya: i liked that genya liked a nerdy not very attractive guy and he didn’t even seem to like her. it was very cool and unusual
zoya: ok i actually really liked her character. i mean i didn’t like her, but i liked her use. the whole alina was jealous of her and then she was jealous of her was cool
map: i love books that have maps in them. i referred back to it many times and it was fun to look at and helpful to visualize the story more.
also i have this book autographed so it made me feel cool so i liked that
DISLIKED: (this list will be longer bc i notice the things i dont like in good books— i still liked it!)
emotions: ok the emotions were weird. they flip-flopped so quickly. like alina was just all over the place. i understand that she was mad at the Darkling but she really liked him and totally would have thought about him more as she was running away. i mourned the darkling more than alina did. also, with genya. when genya first came in, they acted like they didn’t like each other at all and then they were suddenly close friends? i liked their friendship but it happened in a weird way. and then later alina says that she didn’t even know if they were ever really friends and i was like what? that was super weird bc they seemed pretty close and they trusted each other a lot so i dont see why they wouldnt be friends. there were many other examples of these weird sudden w/ no explanation emotion changes too
Mal and Alina’s relationship: ok b4 u hate me i only hated parts of it. i like the idea of them being together a lot and I’m glad they got together in the end bc they are meant to be. but they had a lot to talk about. they couldn’t just be together they needed to talk about a lot. for example, why he ignored alina for such a long time— i guess its bc he took her for granted but he should explain that to her bc she liked him for years and years and years. also they should have talked more about why he was so sad i mean ik it was bc his friends died but like his grief just kinda went away after he told her that and thats not how it works. idk i just feel like they had a lot to talk about before jumping into a relationship. if they would have talked and then dated it would have been perfect.
zoya: yeah she’s down here too. i wish something would have happened with her on the boat in the unsea. a lil confrontation, or even just like her being there looking at alina as alina killed them or something. idk she just didn’t have an ending. of course maybe its because she comes back later in the trilogy but if not then she didn’t really have an ending and i liked her character so i think she deserved an ending. IDEA: darkiling didn’t die and tries to get zoya to replace alina. that’d b good.
overall characters weren’t utilized to their full potential
power thing: ok what the heck to the heck was with this. dont get me wrong i loved that she got those powers, just not the way that it happened. i dont think a realization should have had that much of an effect. i mean she gained her power back AND discovered the cut power? i liked that she got the cut power bc its something she was so afraid of and it showed that she was dangerous. but u dont get that much of an advantage just from a revelation. nope. sorry. maybe like the stag could have reincarnated (why not) and done something. idk but something more concrete needed to happen in order to cause that much of a change.
the huge scene: referring to when alina got her powers. ok loved this scene and how cool it was, but would have liked more description of what was happening like the setting and everything.
missing information: AH THERE WAS SO MUCH I WANTED MORE INFORMATION ON!!!!!! so many things that could have been super cool stories. FOR EXAMPLE: gimme more info on how the darkling was always the darkling!! how old is he really? stuff like that. i get that baghra was trying to hurry but gimme more info— u can’t just spring that ur his mom on me and then leave! like tell me more abt her and how she raised him and stuff thats interesting! also the whole saint deal? how they worship the saints? gimme more info on that! like alina went to mass, but it worshiped the saints instead i think? are they the christian saints or nah? like thats interesante giive me more on that. also tell more about the volcras! what did they look like exactly? ik they had wings and wonky eyes but give me more bro. and who exactly were they, and tell me about the darkling turning them into the volcras.
more description: overall would have liked more description about the setting and where they were. loved the map and it was useful, but i didn’t always understand where they were still.
lack of explanation: didn’t ever get a full description on a lot of the titles, like things about grisha jobs were not fully explained. i thought the beginning was slow but maybe its bc i was trying to figure out what everyone was, and toward the middle i started just reading over the weird words.
OVERALL enjoyed this book and read it quickly. slow beginning but enjoyable. will be reading the next book. was flawed but liked it a lot. good fantasy book.