A review by abrswf
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

4.0

I loved this series on Netflix, but this is one of those rare occasions in which I think the televised/film version outstrips the book. Unlike the author, the TV writers added side plots, including the fascinating Kaz Brekker and his gang, built a deeper world background and maintained a sense of optimism and forward movement. This book series is beautifully written, and the imagined, very Russian world in which it is set is interesting. But it is a very long trilogy of books, and each is a slow read because there is a lot more internal character agonizing than actual plot movement. It is also a very gloomy book with a huge body count. And it's very, very YA -- all about the romance and peer group, with lots of sarcasm and silly banter in place of real relationship-based conversation, plenty of misunderstandings and jealousy and hurt feelings, and an obsession with physical appearance. I have to take a star off. But I highly recommend the Netflix series!