Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Summary (taken from Amazon):
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.
Review:
The minute I found out that Shadow and Bone was fantasy with inspiration from Imperial Russia--I knew I had to read it. The nation of Ravka is split into two by an unknown darkness known as the Shadow Fold. Its filled with monsters which makes crossing extremely dangerous. Add to the fact that the country is bordered by two nations who would love to see its demise.
Alina is a apprentice mapmaker in the army but there’s more to her than meets the eye as her dormant powers are discovered by the Grisha, who wield magic, and she is whisked away to the capital to be trained. She becomes extremely important to both Ravka and its enemies as she holds the power to destroy the Shadow Fold. Alina always saw herself as a pretty plain girl so even with all the attention from the Grisha, readers get to see the changes and the way it ends up affecting her.
The ending was nice and not your typical cliffhanger because there’s peace for now but you know there’s definitely more to come in the next book…and I for one cannot wait.
Overall, Leigh Bardugo created a intricate world filled with history and magic. The characters were multi-faceted and even some of the secondary characters left a lasting impression with me.
Rating 4 Stars
* Thanks to Raincoast for providing me with a review copy
Check out the book trailer!
Now this one sounds really interesting :D I'd like to read it for sure
ReplyDeleteI love that the book has history and magic in it. Both are always good! ;) Sounds like a very interesting story, I have to look out for this one. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI just finished this one like an hour ago and it was so, so good! I can't wait for book 2 :)
ReplyDeleteI love endings like that. Where everything from the book is resolved but it still leaves you wanting more.
ReplyDeleteWait! Did you say "fantasy with inspiration from Imperial Russia"? That sounds interesting. Now I want to read it!
I so enjoyed this one! It took me a little bit to get into it, but then I you had to pry this book from my hands to get me to set it down! SO GOOD! :)
ReplyDeleteOhhhh I'm so excited for this book! Everyone's been raving about it. I like that the cliffhanger is not something that would make you want to tear your hair off. I hate it when authors do that. ;p
ReplyDeleteThis is a combination of history and fantasy inspired by Russian culture. This is interesting. I can't wait to get a copy of this. Thanks for your informative review.
ReplyDeleteI'm very excited to read this novel. I've been hearing great things, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm glad to hear that you gave it a 4!
ReplyDeleteP. S.
ReplyDeleteI've switched over to Reading by Lamplight. I hope you get a chance to swing by!
http://lamplitreviews.blogspot.com/