“I’ve been waiting for you a long time, Alina” He said. “You and I are going to change the world.”

Shadow and Bone

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold―a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite―and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.

As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read anything in the fantasy genre (besides The Eye of the World, which I’m reading for my podcast, Not the Beginning), but Shadow and Bone has made me fall back in love with the genre. Like many people, I picked up this series after the show came out on Netflix. And although I haven’t watched it yet and have tried to stay away from anything revolving around the show to avoid spoilers, I already know that it has colored my opinion of the book going in mainly because of my thoughts on the Darkling. I’m sure you can already guess where I’m going with this, but I honestly can’t tell how I feel about the Darkling. Going in, I already knew that he was the “villain” of the series—which is kind of a spoiler, but now that the show is out, it’s pretty much common knowledge at this point—but I couldn’t help finding him charming. He’s handsome, powerful, a little mysterious, and I can’t tell if I kind of liked him because I simply liked him or because I was, admittedly, picturing Ben Barnes while I was reading. Either way, he’s a convincing morally grey villain. He honestly believes what he’s doing is for the best, making the story all that much more compelling.

The Darkling aside, there are several things I really enjoyed about this book. Leigh Bardugo’s description of the world she created is so immersive. While I was reading, I was able to create a good picture in my head of the scenery. And again, I have tried my best to stay away from even pictures from the show, so that just proves how good the world-building is. I really enjoyed the side characters, especially Genya—I would love to be friends with her under different circumstances.

Writing this review is a little different from the past reviews I’ve written. Unlike most of the books I read—aka contemporary romance, which usually has a faster-paced storyline that completely resolves itself within the book—this book is designed to be the first in a trilogy. Although the book’s individual plotline does resolve by the end, the series plotline does not. In the end, I was left with several questions about the world, the motivations of the characters, and, most importantly, what is going to happen next. 

Overall, I’d say Shadow and Bone was an enjoyable read. Now, to continue my way through the rest of the series and the Six of Crows duology before I manage to spoil anything major for myself.