A review by kerasalwaysreading
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
I don't know what has taken me so long to finally dive into this series. Now that I have, I won't be able to stop.
Alina, a girl who has never been anything but ordinary, discovers she has great power when she and her regiment are attacked. They are traveling through the Shadow Fold, a dark and terrifying slice of space that has cut the nation of Ravka in half. In this black void of the Shadow Fold, monsters lurk and attack. When Alina sees the boy she loves (in secret) being attacked by one of these monsters, her power manifests itself- unbeknownst to her.
Now, Alina is a coveted thing. She has an incredible power and while she believes this is all just a mistake (she couldn't possibly have this power) she must travel to the royal court to train as a Grisha, and the Darkling, the most powerful of all Grisha, is the one who will be escorting her there. Because her power that asleep inside of her for all her life could be the key to repairing the rift in their once great nation.
Now, Alina has gone from the mapmaker she was, poor and ordinary, to a powerful Grisha who is afforded anything she wants at the Little Palace. She is training to use her powers, making friends and some enemies too. And she has caught the Darkling's attention. Through stolen kisses and fleeting touches, he tells her of an amplifier- one that could make her already powerful ability completely unstoppable...
When Alina gets a warning from an unexpected source, though, she quickly understands that the Darkling may not want to repair the rift, but to instead wield all of that power (her power) for himself. So, she must do what she has to do to ensure that doesn't happen. She meets up with a familiar face, one she has been missing and attempts to hide from the Darkling's search.
This was so freaking good!! There were so many great characters. I really enjoyed Alina. I thought she was strong, capable and brave. She was put in a situation she had no control over and she still did everything she could to do the right thing. I cannot wait to read more!
Alina, a girl who has never been anything but ordinary, discovers she has great power when she and her regiment are attacked. They are traveling through the Shadow Fold, a dark and terrifying slice of space that has cut the nation of Ravka in half. In this black void of the Shadow Fold, monsters lurk and attack. When Alina sees the boy she loves (in secret) being attacked by one of these monsters, her power manifests itself- unbeknownst to her.
Now, Alina is a coveted thing. She has an incredible power and while she believes this is all just a mistake (she couldn't possibly have this power) she must travel to the royal court to train as a Grisha, and the Darkling, the most powerful of all Grisha, is the one who will be escorting her there. Because her power that asleep inside of her for all her life could be the key to repairing the rift in their once great nation.
Now, Alina has gone from the mapmaker she was, poor and ordinary, to a powerful Grisha who is afforded anything she wants at the Little Palace. She is training to use her powers, making friends and some enemies too. And she has caught the Darkling's attention. Through stolen kisses and fleeting touches, he tells her of an amplifier- one that could make her already powerful ability completely unstoppable...
When Alina gets a warning from an unexpected source, though, she quickly understands that the Darkling may not want to repair the rift, but to instead wield all of that power (her power) for himself. So, she must do what she has to do to ensure that doesn't happen. She meets up with a familiar face, one she has been missing and attempts to hide from the Darkling's search.
This was so freaking good!! There were so many great characters. I really enjoyed Alina. I thought she was strong, capable and brave. She was put in a situation she had no control over and she still did everything she could to do the right thing. I cannot wait to read more!