A review by yasidiaz
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

When Alina Starkov unleashes a dormant power she is taken to train among the Grisha, the powerful elite army of Ravka. Longing for a place to belong and overwhelmed with the feeling of being Ravka’s last flick of hope, she gives it her all. However, she soon finds out the court is not what it seems and she must be careful who she trusts.

It has been a long time since I have read a YA fantasy like this. I’m surprised it took me so long to read this because this genre was my thing back when I was 15 and 16. Now my tastes have shifted significantly. I focus now more on romance, specifically queer romance, so being fully honest, I worried if I still enjoyed this genre. And as it turns out, I still very much do.

The amount of effort put into worldbuilding made me realize how much I missed a good fantasy book. I loved all the little details, the differences between different areas of Ravka, and the political complexities of the court and the Grisha (although I hope to get more of that in the next book). 

The Darkling was also a very interesting character and I liked how the book kept you on your toes with his character. In contrast, I found it so easy to trust Mal. From the moment he first appeared he became my boy and wanted to give him everything.

Alina was a great protagonist as well. I love when characters are flawed and you see them grow as the story progresses. However, I do hope in the next and other books her powers and strength go beyond her love for Mal.

This was a good book to get back into the high fantasy genre and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

 
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