A review by bumblemee
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

If I read this before reading Six of Crows a few years ago, it would've saved me a lot of confusion. This book does a great job at introducing readers to the Grishaverse.
This feels like the essence of a YA fantasy novel and I had a lot of fun with it. Training sequences, a young heroine coming into her power - great. The pacing was fast, yet it felt a little random at times. For the most part though, I liked how much thought went into building the plot itself, even though I would've liked a little more build up for a certain thing.

I was a little disappointed that the big twist in the middle was simply this scene with Baghra, who explains a lot of things to Alina and then sends her off. I get that Alina didn't see it coming and was pulled in by the Darklings charisma. Still, I would've liked it if she found out some things by herself.

I also like that the author - no surprise there - doesn't shy away from letting her protagonist make morally questionable decisions. A lot of people shy away from that, especially in YA.

All in all I enjoyed my time reading and will probably continue somewhen, even if it's not my top priority right now.