Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)

Jun 22, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone!

Recommended to Steph by: Myself, because I'm cool like that

Shelves: 2012-release, young-adult, fantasy, netgalley, ebook, 2-am-or-later, 2012-favs, 2012-reads, action-packed, awesome, best-characters, best-relationships, come-out-already, deserves-every-one-of-those-stars, epic, i-didn-t-see-that-coming, i-loved-it, i-need-the-next-book-like-yesterday, i-really-enjoyed-it, mind-blowing-good, oh-yeah-baby, omg-that-ending, original-and-creative, pretty-covers, pure-win, so-glad-i-read-this, surprised-me, superb-world-building, yeah-baby-5-stars, didn-t-disappoint, strong-heroine, e-arc, i-own-it

Check out the interview with Leigh Bardugo where she saves Kat Kennedy and I from Ninjas. True story. Also, there's a giveaway of a finished copy of Shadow and Bone!

If I could wrap up my emotions about how I felt after reading Shadow and Bone and send them to you through my computer screen, I totally would. Instead, I'm afraid you'll have to settle for my words: THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING! I wish I could unread it just so I can go back and re-read it again for the first time.

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Yes, I loved it that much...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Tatiana rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Divergent and Grave Mercy

Recommended to Tatiana by: 5 star reviews

Shelves: 2012, fantasy, series-dropped-lost-steam, ya, b, ala-ya-2013

As seen on The Readventurer

2.5 stars

It is alright, if you are into fantasy lite. I, on the other hand, am a little weary of this lightish, breezy and superficial entertainment. Give me something juicier, something more thoughtful, something more sophisticated.

Shadow and Bone is a decent book. Bardugo's writing style is easy and engaging. The plot is developed enough to masquerade the fact that the biggest chunk of it is the usual boarding school fare with makeovers, mean girl drama, petty rivalr...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Nataliya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nataliya by: the word 'Grisha'

Shelves: 2012-reads, this-was-quite-bad, first-in-a-series

The biggest issue with this book is actually NOT the utter fail at correctly incorporating the Russian elements into the story.

It's that I'd never be able to pick this book out of a generic YA book lineup.

It's like a ninja, perfectly blending into its surroundings, into that painfully generic landscape that plagues YA literature recently, the lackluster background against which few gems truly stand out. And gem this one is not.

I think at this point there is a formula that many YA writers view as...more

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Stardrag Nataliya wrote: "Stardrag wrote: "I love how when books like this which aren't American based and try to be different by introducing American culture...more
Mar 01, 2013 03:12pm

Celofán Ah, I agree with this. So, so much. Not the part about Russia, though, because I know nothing of the culture. Anyways, the Russian setting didn't do a...more
Mar 30, 2013 10:12am

Apr 12, 2012 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-galley, fantasy-or-paranormal, fantasy-or-pn-favourites, ultimate-favourites, 5-star-gems, romance, fantasy, 2012-favourites, love-triangle

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

There is so much to love about this book.

Let us start with Ravka. This highly fantastical world is a work of pure ingenuity and imagination. Leigh Bardugo masters the art of show-not-tell as she recreates this masterpiece in the reader’s head. I wasn’t even aware of this map until after I had finished reading the book but it is exactly how I pictured it. The Shadow Fold, a deadly strip of thic...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Sarah (saz101) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sarah (saz101) by: Everyone, ever.

Shelves: fantasy, 2012-releases, young-adult, favorites

Because words won't do, THIS is my review of Shadow and Bone:

Shadow and Bone drove me to drink O__O

Hmph, and what has Ms Bardugo to say?

LOL. (Your tears only make me stronger.) RT @sazbah: My review of @lbardugo's Shadow and Bone #WhenWordsWontDo twitter.com/sazbah/status/…
— Leigh Bardugo (@LBardugo) February 19, 2013

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Apr 27, 2012 Kat Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: drunk-when-i-wrote-this-review, fun-fantasy, kat-s-book-reviews, to-ya-or-not-to-ya

Damn you, Leigh Barduga. Damn you for tricking me.

Leigh Barduga is like some kind of literary crouching tiger, hidden dragon or something.

You would be forgiven, upon commencing this novel, for thinking Shadow and Bone is redundant, cliched piece of tripe book with poor story-telling, average writing and a predictable plot. People who haven't read countless Young Adult novels probably wouldn't notice the trends, but I did. This is what I thought and Leigh led me down the primrose path until... BO...more

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May 18, 2012 Steph Su rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: debs12, problematic, fantasy-lite

People have been throwing 4 and 5 stars at this book left and right, and I wonder what I missed. I was prepared to give this book 2 stars, maybe even 3 if I was feeling generous on the day I wrote the review, but as I pushed myself through the first half of this book, I encountered increasingly more things that irritated me, until the one that pushed me over the edge and convinced me that I’d be okay with not ever finishing SHADOW AND BONE.

It started out strong: atmospheric and engrossing. Past...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Emily May rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya-na, 2013, coverly-love

Please note: this is not really a review. In fact, this may be my most useless non-review to date (there have been a few) and is actually better described as a random mish-mash of my thoughts and feelings on this book. "Aren't all your reviews like that, Emily?" I hear you cry, but alas, the random incoherentness is somewhat even more pronounced in this one.

You know, I've wondered ever since Shadow and Bone was released last year whether I would fall into the camp of gushing, never-ending love...more

Please note: this is not really a review. In fact, this may be my most useless non-review to date (there have been a few) and is actually better described as a random mish-mash of my thoughts and feelings on this book. "Aren't all your reviews like that, Emily?" I hear you cry, but alas, the random incoherentness is somewhat even more pronounced in this one.

You know, I've wondered ever since Shadow and Bone was released last year whether I would fall into the camp of gushing, never-ending love for it... or find myself sat sipping kvas with the other sceptics and laughing over the preposterous idea that we could ever get drunk on it. I was prepared for it to go either way. However, I find myself uselessly sitting somewhere in the middle, lonesomely twiddling my thumbs and pondering all the different things I liked but didn't love and disliked but didn't hate. How very annoying of me. I'm sat here going through my mental list of the book's faults whilst simultaneously trying to figure out what organs and/or limbs I can get away with exchanging for an ARC of Siege and Storm.

I mean, I didn't like Alina that much. She was okay. She was fine. But you know something is wrong when the heroine is merely "okay" and "fine". I found her a touch (a touch too much) on the wimpy side for my liking, she was too eager to play the damsel in distress on multiple occasions but I've heard she gets better in the sequel. Let's hope so. Admittedly, I only decided to read this now because of the hype surrounding the sequel so I have my fingers crossed that Siege and Storm can rid us of the problems I have with this series.

Especially the fact that this is quite a poor excuse for fantasy. Limited world-building, light fantasy-style background which is heavily diluted by romance, mean girls, bitchiness and seemingly useless tidbits of information about noble life. This is like the chick-lit, high school version of fantasy, filled with characters who are supposedly hardcore warriors but spend much of the novel keeping their hardcore warrior hands disappointingly clean. The roughest, most gruesome bit of this story is perhaps when a poor stag gets murdered. Which is really just depressing all round. Thankfully, though, the novel's large amount of tame scenes did provide me with some entertainment and a few laughs. There is a certain base addictive quality to Bardugo's writing that makes it incredibly easy to digest and even necessary to read on.

Another negative - sorry - is the rather silly obsession with looks in the novel. For one, I couldn't give a damn about the various vanities of the Grisha women; for another, it annoyed me how Alina seemed to equate her worth with her looks from the very beginning. She denies her power can possibly exist because she isn't a luminous ball of hotness like the others. But, as with good old plain Bella Swan, everyone falls in love with her anyway. To be honest, that is an unfair comparison because Alina - even with her faults - is a far more interesting character than Bella. But still, get a grip on yourself. And douse yourself with some badassery so you can stop being such a wimp because so far this world is looking awfully like the disappointing one of Grave Mercy.

Also - is there a love triangle here? I'm not even certain what's happening. I kinda hope there is. Ha, bet you weren't expecting that! But, you know, Darkling is really quite a sexy word, don't you think? And maybe Ms Bardugo hasn't got the whole fantasy thing down in this book but she sure knows exactly what she's doing with his characterisation. He's dangerous, he's sexy, he likes to make out with you in secret rooms, he's arrogant with a little side order of hidden feelings to kick you right in the ovaries and the heart at the same time. I suppose Mal is the safer and more sensible option and the one I'd be telling Alina to go for if this was the real world and she was a friend of mine. But - yay! - this isn't the real world and the complexity of the Darkling attracts me. The way I feel about him is similar to how I felt about Ido in Eona but hopefully this won't have a similar conclusion.

Thank you if you actually read my non-review. If anyone knows how I can acquire an ARC of the sequel, please tell me and I shall be forever grateful. (less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Giselle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, ebook, fantasy

While fantasy can be a hit or miss for me, I'm glad that I'm able to add another one to my hit pile. When I started Shadow and Bone I was a bit intimidated by the strange new world; by the bizarre terms such as Corporalki and Keramzin, or the ones I can't even pronounce (ie Otkazat’sya); and also by all this talk of the Shadow Fold that was obviously important but I didn't completely understand. However, as the world building is more showing rather than telling, the more I read, the more I was a...more While fantasy can be a hit or miss for me, I'm glad that I'm able to add another one to my hit pile. When I started Shadow and Bone I was a bit intimidated by the strange new world; by the bizarre terms such as Corporalki and Keramzin, or the ones I can't even pronounce (ie Otkazat’sya); and also by all this talk of the Shadow Fold that was obviously important but I didn't completely understand. However, as the world building is more showing rather than telling, the more I read, the more I was able to grasp the complexities of this world until I realized I was completely caught up in it. Don't get overwhelmed by the infodump at the start as this book ends up having a fascinating world that becomes highly picturesque, with an enchanting cast of characters that brings it to life.

The reason for me not always liking fantasy is how very politically drowning they can be. Political intrigue can only keep my interest for so long before I begin to snooze. Shadow and Bone is definitely not the case. It has a kingdom, yes, but it doesn't come with the usual redundant monarchy debacles I've come to expect - and run from. In here, we've got the mysterious, and terrifying, Shadow Fold filled with nothing but nightmares; we have shocking twists that are both dark and breathtaking; and most of all, we have Alina.

Alina comes off being a fragile little thing who can seem quite naive. But when she's suddenly thrown into a world so unlike her own, with no one to trust and an incredible power she didn't know she had, things get serious - fast! Thus, we get to watch her grow into a brave and powerful young woman. I really enjoyed seeing her blossom right in front of my eyes. This is genuine character development that makes you acknowledge her fears as well as understand her mistakes. She's easy to like and even easier to root for; the kind of heroine that makes the story!

Now on to The Darkling - ominous sounding, no? His dangerous aura fits his name! However, couple this with an alluring charm and we've got ourselves a very compelling character. I was never really sure how much trust to lend him which made him even more intriguing. I constantly found myself wanting to know more about this cryptic being. This is not singular to him, however, the whole story is very character driven with a big, powerful cast.

Yes we have some romance, yes it's dreamy and precious and magnetic and agonizing and exasperating, yes this is all I'm saying.

There is a lot happening in this novel, so much so that it does skim the surface on a few things - I was especially hoping for a deeper knowledge of the Grisha and everything surrounding their purpose. The world building is absolutely attractive, though a lot of it is meant to entertain more than to perfect. But overall: Dark, gritty, yet filled with humoristic bits, Shadow and Bone is a fresh, action packed fantasy that is beautifully written and highly engrossing. This is one that actually lives up to the hype!

--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Experiment BL626 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, reviewed

CAUTION: Long Review

Shadow and Bone (SaB) is book 1 in the Grisha trilogy, a Russian-inspired fantasy. Alas, the fantasy was like a lumpy beef stew — it wasn't cooked properly. The plot was disappointing, the protagonist pathetic, the magical world mundane, the antagonist...surprisingly cool so why was he not the protagonist of the story?

The Plot

Over 81,000 words, the novel began with a timid girl who in a dire moment unleashed a dormant power to rescue her friend. It wasn't just any power, it w...more

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Jul 25, 2012 K. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, fantasy-sci-fi-dys, historical, hit-me-in-the-heart, ok-fine-its-ya, slippery-as-waterweed, this-shelf-is-divine, 21st-cent, own

Well, if this isn't the review that wouldn't write itself.

The correct term for my current condition is Tskdn;ieajnrja. It is a state in which the mind of a reader of young adult fiction is awesomely blown. I've lost all sense of decorum. You see, all I want to do is fangirl. That's it. All the time. I come near the book and its a reaction -- I just squeal and squeeze my hands to my heart and bat my lashes and swing side to side, breathe in air, breathe out wishful thoughts. Or this.

description

It's a sympto...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Kelly Leigh rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, witches-warlocks-druids-oh-my

This book, aargh, book, I didn't mesh with you whatsoever. For you are vain and shallow and have little to no substance for my tastes. And a plot? Was it hidden? Alas, I failed to find it.

The plot, there was little to none. Well, only if you consider attending balls, nonstop makeovers, endless gazing at one's self in mirrors plot-worthy. And the mirror-mirroring on the wall didn't stop there, let me tell you. MC, Alina, also invited a girlfriend over, Genya, to do the same while they danced and...more This book, aargh, book, I didn't mesh with you whatsoever. For you are vain and shallow and have little to no substance for my tastes. And a plot? Was it hidden? Alas, I failed to find it.

The plot, there was little to none. Well, only if you consider attending balls, nonstop makeovers, endless gazing at one's self in mirrors plot-worthy. And the mirror-mirroring on the wall didn't stop there, let me tell you. MC, Alina, also invited a girlfriend over, Genya, to do the same while they danced and twirled and tried on clothes. I'm so beautiful. No, you're so beautiful. He-he-he. We're so beautiful. The fairest in all the land. Eventually my annoyance morphed to laughter, for the looking-glass gazings reminded me of the Californians on SNL, when they'd - the cast - would end the skit by fondly staring in a standing floor mirror. For your viewing pleasure. The Californians.

And my absolute favorite. The abuse of the word beautiful. Everything was beautiful. The Grisha, clothes, atmosphere, Alina, Nadia, Zoya, and Genya and the queen and . . . If you tell the reader that every Grisha is beautiful, then it's wholly unnecessary to remind me of this fact every 10 pages. I get it. Only pretty pretty princesses can be magical y'all. Sorry to all you ugly ducklings. This is a perfect book for impressionable teens, methinks. Great values and morals jam-packed within this tome. Would totally help with teetering self-esteems. Just chase this book with a teen glossy du jour.

Here's a question that kept popping up in my noggin. If Evil's afoot, the fate of the world in a precarious situation, then why are there so many balls or fetes? Does Evil take a break for celebrations? It must. Good to know. And also, if Evil and Danger are lurking around the corner, in the shadows, why is everything described as beautiful? Shouldn't it be more ominous? Everything to this MC was jovial, the atmosphere painted was one of grandeur and beauty and opulence, not danger. Wouldn't one perceive things a tad different if one was truly fearful? Right?

So yeah, if you don't mind an anorexic plot. If you don't mind vanity and reading about how everything is beautiful every 10 ten pages. If you don't mind a lack of character development. If you don't mind being told not shown. Then look no more, for this is the book for you. I might end up deleting this review, for I don't like to sound harsh, but this book and I didn't gel. And that's okay. You can't expect to like every single book. Also, it's safe to say I won't be continuing on with this series. (less)

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May 05, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: just-not-good-enough-to-stick-with, shit-or-get-off-the-pot, the-decent-shelf-of-meh, why-oh-why-did-i-fall-for-the-hype

My copy was an ARC I received through a swap with a friend.

And the hype strikes again! All but one of my friends loved this novel and they promised me it would be fantastic. Having been bitten by hype multiple times (two very recent incidents being Divergent and Anna Dressed in Blood), I put off reading my copy for close to two months and said that if the novel didn't live up to the hype, all my friends that loved it owed me their pinky fingers. Two days of near-nonstop reading later, I find mys...more My copy was an ARC I received through a swap with a friend.

And the hype strikes again! All but one of my friends loved this novel and they promised me it would be fantastic. Having been bitten by hype multiple times (two very recent incidents being Divergent and Anna Dressed in Blood), I put off reading my copy for close to two months and said that if the novel didn't live up to the hype, all my friends that loved it owed me their pinky fingers. Two days of near-nonstop reading later, I find myself less impressed with the novel than they were. Time for them to kiss their pinkies goodbye!

Bardugo's writing flows well and her top-notch worldbuilding left me dying to know more. She can write a fantastic make-out scene, that's for sure. Even when Alina and the Darkling's relationship dives into Not Okay territory, the complexity of it is almost scrumptious and readers are sure to gobble it up. Speaking of complexity, the Darkling's characterization had to be the standout point of the novel. His secrets and layers are constantly being unraveled and revealed throughout the novel and I looked upon it with envy. If I could write a character like that...

So with all that nice stuff to say, why don't I love it?

I didn't care about any of these characters. The Darkling's complexity is appreciated, but not anything I love because he's not very original in it. I feel like I've already seen characters just like him that did it better. Alina and Mal didn't win more of my attention than the bare minimum I could give. They were satisfactory, but they once again felt like characters I'd seen done better elsewhere. Like with a cornbread recipe in my family that my grandmother wrote. My dad follows the recipe exactly when he makes cornbread, but he always says it's never quite like the cornbread she made. Most of all, I wanted this book to go deeper than it did with its characters and its world. Shadow and Bone may be entertaining, but it's not quite as engaging as I wish it was.

It seems like a good sign I read this in two days, but it isn't in this case. On the first day, I read about seventy-five pages; on the second day, I skimmed the rest. So much time was spent on the makeovers, balls, and the Darkling drawing Alina in while I wondered where the overarching plot was. As a small niggle, Alina's name bugs me. According to the Russian tradition that seems to govern most of the other names, it should be Alina Starkova, not Alina Starkov.

Now if those friends of mine who hyped it up so much would leave me the pinky fingers they owe me, that would be fantastic. There's a knife by the door and doctors will be waiting outside to make sure you don't bleed to death or anything like that. Thank you! But just like they will, I'll be coming back for the next installment of Bardugo's series.(less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Demonic Circus Princess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: atmosphere, beautiful-artwork, beautiful-cover, best-male-character, best-villain, better-than-expected, chosen-by-my-amazing-intuition, cool-side-characters, epic-climax, fangirling, gore, holy-chiz-where-did-that-come-from, kick-ass-heroine, left-me-an-emotional-wreck, made-me-puke-rainbows-of-joy, makes-you-really-think, originality, pretty-font-or-page-design, shattered-my-heart, so-insanely-in-love-with, warm-fuzzy-feelings, will-never-forget, 10-stars-out-of-5, top-3-in-the-history-of-forever

O. Mah. Gah.

Leigh Bardugo, you fucking liar. You're no human. You're a Grisha with the talent to write like a fucking goddess.

It was 4th of July when I really started reading this. I mean, I'd read like 30 pages the days before, and I'd liked it, but it wasn't until Independence Day that I was hooked. I went to this party at my cousin's house with an in-ground pool, sweets, horror movies, Sparklers, and even a fucking pinata. You know what I did at that party?

I did not swim.

I did not stuff mysel...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Bernardo rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Alphabetized people.

Shelves: da-comrade, 2012, come-here-gorgeous-twerk-that-thang, coverlust, dark-and-grimy-and-grungy, epically-epic-epics, fantasy, loved-it-to-bits, made-me-cry-didn-t-even-call-back, magically-delicious, perfection, orgasming-so-hard-i-can-t-even, the-feeeelings-are-drowning-me, the-glorious-shelf-of-fabulousness

Sometimes in life, you're going to read one of those books that are just so good, so wonderful and so utterly gahworthy that words escape you and you can't ascribe it any quality besides

It's like being plagued with a heavy, thunderous storm for ages and then have the skies split open in half and Angels descend from them as the rain slows to a drizzle and lo!, it's party time at the pearly gates and God's heavenly favorites have come to escort you to your VIP lounge! A glorious banquet has been l...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Kaede rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own, action-through-and-through, dark, fantastic-characters, girl-is-too-in-love-to-do-shit, judge-a-book-by-its-cover, lots-of-punching-and-kicking, made-me-laugh, males-done-right, more-than-i-expected, paranormal, so-insanely-in-love-with, kick-ass-heroines

4.5 stars

"The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, "is that it makes us weak."

HOLY. That ending. That ending.

Oh I swear Leigh Bardugo has a cruel, cruel heart underneath where no one can see. It is only shown through her Grisha talent to write. You just simply cannot end a book like that. I think I might lock myself in a room when this review is over and just cry, "ANDDDDDD? WHAT COMES NEXT? MOMMMM, WHERE DID YOU HIDE THE MISSING L...more

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May 03, 2013 Sandra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: awesome-characters, love-triangles, melting-inside-awwww, nooo-way, omfg, reviewed-books, sexy-males, sad

A dark heart. A pure soul. A love that will last forever.

Genre: Fantasy/Romance/YA

The Gathering Dark (also known as Shadow and Bone), is the first book in 'The Grisha' trilogy. And i think it was an AMAZING start. It was really refreshing to read something slightly different, if you don't know already, i read a lot of adult books. So, this was a a nice change.

I was not expecting to buy this book anytime this year, maybe even ever. But when i read the first chapter in the library it hooked me,...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who enjoy reading fantasy, action, and a kick-ass heroine

Recommended to Victoria by: Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads)

Shelves: so-much-hype, cover-i-love, 2012-favorites, action-adventure, leaves-awesomeness-behind, best-characters, best-couples, books-that-i-love, fantasy, heroines-i-love-and-respect, kick-ass-heroines, made-the-hype-worth-it, rainy-day-re-reads, series-to-continue-still-like, swoon-worthy-boys, treasure-keeps, young-adult, books-reviewed

“I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I'd catch myself just walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I'd seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I'd realize that you weren't there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I've risked my life for you. I've walked half the length of Ravka for you, a...more

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May 28, 2012 Mimi Valentine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, 5-star, best-of-2012, boys-i-wish-were-real, gorgeous-covers, pure-awesomeness, favourites, authors-i-want-to-meet, would-marry-if-legal, reviewed

There's no doubt in my mind that this will end up being one of the BEST books of the entire year! Best world, best heroine, best writing, best romance... There are just so many breathtaking things in this book, I can't believe I ever had a doubt!

Shadow and Bone is high fantasy at its best. (There's that word again!) The world-building of Ravka is flawless. It makes you believe and fear the terrible Shadow Fold that splits it in two, with its ravenous monsters, but there's never an overwhelming...more There's no doubt in my mind that this will end up being one of the BEST books of the entire year! Best world, best heroine, best writing, best romance... There are just so many breathtaking things in this book, I can't believe I ever had a doubt!

Shadow and Bone is high fantasy at its best. (There's that word again!) The world-building of Ravka is flawless. It makes you believe and fear the terrible Shadow Fold that splits it in two, with its ravenous monsters, but there's never an overwhelming dump of information. It's always showing not telling, captivating not repelling, and kind of perfect — which I don't say for high fantasy very often (or at all)!

Alina — smart, strong, vulnerable Alina — is one of my favourite heroines ever! She's not blindingly beautiful or perfect with her new found ability at first; she doesn't always know the right thing to say or the right people to trust. But she's one of the most REAL characters I've ever met, and she grows, learns, and loses so much that I almost wish I didn't care about her like I do so it wouldn't hurt as much. But of course, with Alina, that's impossible!

And I loved the rest of the cast too — especially the Darkling, who seriously brings a new definition to the word mysterious, and Mal, for never giving up on Alina and always being the sweetest best friend ever! ♥ The romance is really a spoiler on its own, but I promise it's not your average best-friends-plus-one romance. I adored it so much!

Also, I can't even say whether or not I expected the big twist near the end because I was so enamoured by the everything that I didn't pause a second to make any guesses!

With some of the best writing and most brilliant worlds ever, Shadow and Bone will undoubtedly be topping people's favourites lists everywhere. I can honestly say that it's my favourite high fantasy book of all time... and that's coming from a fantasy-loving girl! ;)

BUY or BORROW?: You will buy this book and love it and be at Leigh Bardugo's feet with me, begging to read the sequel! This is an absolute MUST, and I can't even stress how buy-worthy it is enough! (Want a reminder? Count the number of times I used "best" in this review!)

(Original review at Mimi Valentine's YA Review Blog)(less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Nanou rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: never-finished

I wonder why Leigh Bardugo, having based her book heavily on Russian culture, made it so totally and laughably unreadable for anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of Russian language. Well, alright, not the slightest maybe, but knowledge nevertheless.
Because no Russian can seriosly read a book, where right on the first page appears a woman named Ana Kuya.
It's "Why the fuck?" in Russian.
I couldn't go on, really.

(Especially after I've read somewhere that there are girls in the book named...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 12-debut-author-challenge, own-arc, fantasy-challenge, signed-arcs, signed-books, books-i-own

One of my favorite debuts of the year!

Leigh Bardugo transports her readers to the world of Ravka. Ravka while a fantasy world does have influences from 20th century Russia, though the world and the language is all the creation of Bardugo. And it’s fabulous! Wow, I was instantly drawn into this world, it was magical and mysterious and everything that I wanted and more!

Alina and her best friend Mal, orphaned at a young age, are now soldiers in the Second Army. Mal, unaware of Alina’s affections se...more One of my favorite debuts of the year!

Leigh Bardugo transports her readers to the world of Ravka. Ravka while a fantasy world does have influences from 20th century Russia, though the world and the language is all the creation of Bardugo. And it’s fabulous! Wow, I was instantly drawn into this world, it was magical and mysterious and everything that I wanted and more!

Alina and her best friend Mal, orphaned at a young age, are now soldiers in the Second Army. Mal, unaware of Alina’s affections seems to draw the eye of every girl in his proximity. If only Alina had the self confidence of those girls, she might be able to tell Mal how she feels. Though she may never have the chance to tell him, as their regime is close to crossing into The Shadow Fold, which hold these flying flesh eating creatures called volcra. They are as creepy as they sound!

Well something happens when they are crossing into The Shadow Fold and suddenly Alina is in the middle of it all. She’s swept away to the palace and…. well you’ll just have to read the book to learn about all the rest. Don’t worry you won’t be disappointed!

Bardugo’s writing style is captivating and easy to read. I was instantly drawn into this story. I loved Alina and I loved the world of Ravka. And Mal! And dare I even say the Darkling! Though there hinted to be parts of a love triangle, there isn’t one. The love story we are given is simply beautiful! And don’t worry about the romance overshadowing the rest of the story, because it doesn’t! The majority of the story is Alina’s in discovering and mastering her abilities. In finding out who she can trust and what she should believe. There are several things that Alina and I both did not see coming!

And the ending. Wow the ending. That was one of those things that I did not see that coming!

I just loved everything about it, and I can’t recommend it enough! For fantasy lovers, you will devour this! And for readers wanting to try a fantasy novel, why not start with Shadow and Bone!(less)

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May 25, 2012 Nafiza rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: debut-authors-12, net-galley, books-i-own, books-for-review, 2012

Let me preface this by saying that this is not going to be an easy review to write. Krystle and I read this together and it was interesting to notice the difference in our reactions to some of the aspects of the story. My response to the book may be placed solely on the doors of the hype that’s building up for it. The thing is, when things are hyped like this, they tend to invite more expectation than they should, higher expectations than they can live up to and this was the case for me with Sha...more Let me preface this by saying that this is not going to be an easy review to write. Krystle and I read this together and it was interesting to notice the difference in our reactions to some of the aspects of the story. My response to the book may be placed solely on the doors of the hype that’s building up for it. The thing is, when things are hyped like this, they tend to invite more expectation than they should, higher expectations than they can live up to and this was the case for me with Shadow and Stone.

First, let’s talk about the insanely awesome things.

The world building is fantastic. No, I truly mean fantastic.I like how detailed the imagery is and how Bardugo takes time to painstakingly etch out the landscapes and the living quarters of various people. What really drew me in (and made me think) about this book was the emphasis on the politics of power. Power. The many ways it manifests itself, the corruption inherent in the acquirement of power and the different kinds of power. The hierarchy of the Kingdom in the story, the faces of power, who holds the power versus who seems to hold it. The monarchs themselves, their foibles, their weaknesses. The hierarchy of the Grisha, their order, where religion plays in and where it doesn’t. The social order and the social responsibility that comes with power.

Fantastic, right?

Well, I think so anyway. The characterizations were decent. Mal, the Darkling and Alina, the triangle in the center, with the lovely Genya, Bharga and some other side characters filling out the cast decently. I’m inclined to be lenient as this is a debut and I was satisfied with most of the characters even though I couldn’t make myself wholly support Alina until the latter part of the novel but more on that later. There are, unfortunately, mean girls present and while their mean girl-ery is explained, it doesn’t actually make me happy. Their presence, I mean.

My biggest obstacle to enjoying this novel was Alina’s character. She acted (and seemed) very cautious (and wuffly) for the first three quarters of the novel and while Krystle didn’t mind at all (she actually enjoyed Alina’s characterization) I had a lot of trouble with it because I like strong heroines who know who they are, what they want and aren’t afraid to go get it. Who show some spunk. I understood why Alina’s cautious nature is appropriate for her – is a result of her upbringing – but I just couldn’t get behind someone who seemed so sappy and dependent on a guy emotionally.

Also, the preoccupation with clothes etc reminded me of Wither and while I might be tempted to explain its apparent importance in the novel by saying that this is the author’s attempt to somehow delineate the superficial nature of the world Alina is living in, I am more inclined to put it down as a blatant pandering to the teenage audience with their fascination with fashion etc. I was frustrated by the page time devoted to clothes and other superficial stuff when that space could have been given to developing the far more interesting, in my opinion, world and politics.

The plot is somewhat predictable. The Darkling – okay, I felt that the whole build up of the Darkling was unnecessarily detailed because in the end, well, you’ll see. I just felt that the buildup did not lead to the satisfactory climax I felt should have been there due to the importance of the Darkling.

That said, I must admit that once Alina started taking action and used her agency to grasp her own destiny, things became cool but then, again, Mal appears and well, the dependence thing once again rears its head. Bardugo tries too hard to sell Mal and Alina as some sort of epic romance story especially by the mirroring technique she uses in the prologue and epilogue. You’ll see what I mean.

Ultimately, I was not as pleased with Shadow and Bone as I had wished to be. While the premise is interesting and the potential endless, it did not deliver quite the epic story I was expecting. However, I find that I am one of the few who feel that way and there are many others who feel quite differently. My complaints aside, I think the novel is quite entertaining if read for something intriguing and fun but without, in my opinion, anything meatier to prop it up. There is no cliffhanger ending so you can read it safely. Since you now know what I think, I urge you to try it for yourself and make up your own mind about it.
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Apr 26, 2013 Ash Wednesday (Corporal Cupcake) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: the people I like (you know who you are)

Shelves: on-going-series, pnr, review, young-adult, it-s-a-magic

4 STARS (like duh)

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.

Those are pretty big words. For a debut novel, it's almost asking for some hurt.

Especially since when I read that in the blurb I kept thinking of Gwen Stefani: Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

So did it deliver?

Well, for the most part anyway.

"There's nothing wrong with being a mapmaker."
"Ofcourse not. And there's nothing wrong with being a lizard either. Unless you were born to be a hawk."

There's so much hate one can give Alina's character: an...more

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May 30, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cover-love, dac-2012, debut-author-challenge-2012, loved, read-in-2012, own, won, newly-released, best-of-2012

This was a completely magical book and I was under it's spell!
The world that Leigh Bardugo has created was amazing. Everything was so vivid, the story line flowed good. It was well written. It had everything that I love in books; action, magic, adventure, an exotic location, some romance (no insta-love)!
The characters were amazing! I loved them all.

This book surprised me, I didn't know what to expect before I started it, but I'm sure glad I had the opportunity to read it. Buy the book when it...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Renu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review-from-publisher, favourites

A dark and delicious debut with action, suspense and romance!

Alina and her best friend Mal grew up together in an orphan, and now serve the King's Army - Alina as a mapmaker and Mal as a tracker. Alina never really thought she was much of anything, but then one day while on a mission to the Shadow Fold her regiment is attacked by the fearsome Volcra and Mal is injured. She somehow manages to save his life and discovers that she is actually a Grisha -a group of people with seemingly magical abili...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Zaira rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Zaira by: Isabella

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, 2012-favourites

B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!!!

The majority of my friends here on Goodreads read it, and said it was amazing, and said that I should read it. The first one was Isabella and I thank her so much because it was indeed a wonderful read.

I always loved books where authors make up new worlds different from the ones that we live. Shadow and Bone takes place in a magical world ( based on the russian culture) named Ravka. This is where our main character Alina lives. Orphan since a very young age, she never comple...more B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!!!

The majority of my friends here on Goodreads read it, and said it was amazing, and said that I should read it. The first one was Isabella and I thank her so much because it was indeed a wonderful read.

I always loved books where authors make up new worlds different from the ones that we live. Shadow and Bone takes place in a magical world ( based on the russian culture) named Ravka. This is where our main character Alina lives. Orphan since a very young age, she never completely fits in wherever she is. The only place she can be herself is besides her childhood friend, Mal. But they aren't children anymore and so Alina begins to feel something more powerful and strong than a friendship. Mal (like most of the boys) doesn't have a clue. He becomes one of the most talented trackers, very handsome and with dozens of girls drooling over him!!

All changes though when Alina in attempt to save Mal's life unleashes one of the coolest kick-ass powers of all the time. She was able to summon light (how freaking cool is that?) and suddenly she becomes the key to destroy The Fold, the dreadful horrible dark place where evil creatures live.
And this is where she meets the mysterious Darkling. She goes with him to master her newfound powers and to become a Grisha, (they are some cool magical people who have some very cool powers and strength! :P)

My feelings for the Darkling are sooo contradictory: I HATE him but I also love him. I'm mostly fascinated with him. Bardugo had better do something about him because I'm not the only one who actually like this character (view spoiler) . I think that the Darkling will have his large fan base pretty soon. As will Mal. Apart from him being clueless he was actually a swoon-worthy guy!! I loved him too!!

Alina grows so much as a character in this book. She makes awful mistakes but she learns from them in the harsh way. I feel so sorry about the things that she endures in this book.

This book captures you since the beggining, takes you in a magical and incredible new world, with a lot of twists that I completely didn't see coming. I was emerged in the book and I didn't leave it without finishing it. The thing that I most liked is that Leigh doesn't explain to you the world immediately, she lets you to understand and discover it all by yourself instead.

I can't wait for the second book!! (Thanks God, no cliffhanger!!) (less)

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Sep 27, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Actual rating: 3.49 stars

Shadow and Bone is a very difficult book for me to review because even as I was reading it, I kept thinking "I should love this but I don't." There was nothing overtly offensive about this novel. In fact, on its surface it's quite lovely. The world that Bardugo has created is unique and there was no obvious world building errors, the protagonist was not mind-numbingly stupid or irritatingly arrogant, her love interest wasn't an abusive jerk, and I fell in love with Bardu...more Actual rating: 3.49 stars

Shadow and Bone is a very difficult book for me to review because even as I was reading it, I kept thinking "I should love this but I don't." There was nothing overtly offensive about this novel. In fact, on its surface it's quite lovely. The world that Bardugo has created is unique and there was no obvious world building errors, the protagonist was not mind-numbingly stupid or irritatingly arrogant, her love interest wasn't an abusive jerk, and I fell in love with Bardugo's writing style. The prose flow smoothly and the descriptions are rich and beautiful, so beautiful in fact that I didn't even mind that there was a little too much telling and not enough showing because everything is told in such a pretty way.

The problem for me was that while Shadow and Bone is quite a beautiful book, I found that it was lacking in substance. The world, the characters, the relationships, and the plot were very shallow in their construction. Ravka is vast and unique but Bardugo only scratches the surface in terms of religion, politics, and culture. While there is some commentary on the inequality between the wealthy and the poor, this book never delves into the deeper social issues that plague the world, nor is the reader given much insight into the role of religion in society. Although the main character spends a majority of the book at court, there is no real discussion of the political climate or the courtly politics.

Instead the plot revolves around a high school-like atmosphere with mean girl cliques, a love triangle including a not-so-plain average girl and two good looking guys, and parties where the heroine is paraded around in beautiful clothing while everyone marvels at her. Does any of this sound familiar? If you frequent the YA section of bookstores, then it should because these plot points are found in a majority of the YA novels published these days. Shadow and Bone even includes a "slutty" beautiful rival who hates the heroine because she's jealous.

I also found the characterization to be entirely too shallow, which made it hard for me to connect with any of the characters. Alina is your typical plain jane who is really a special snowflake. Her character was severely lacking in both strength and initiative. Mal fills the role of the noble protective love interest without any real flaws, while the Darkling is the dark brooding bad boy. Of these three, only the Darkling shows any spark of complexity but there wasn't enough insight given into his motivation and history to truly call him a complex character.

Overall, I enjoyed this book mainly because of the writing, which often dazzled me into forgetting about the novel's shortcomings. I'll probably check out the sequel if only so I can devour more of Bardugo's writing.(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: macmillan, alamw12, disappointing, ya-kids-teen, all-kinds-of-fantasy, 2012, annoying-protagonist, mc-girl

Shadow and Bone has an authentic and fairly original concept, with a breathtaking setting in a fantasy world that is either supposed to be Russia, is based on Russia, or...something to do with Russia. Though S&B could be considered a fantasy novel, it reads more like a paranormal, as I didn't exactly get that "period setting" feel like I did with Melina Marchetta and Kristin Cashore' fantasies. I was impressed with author Leigh Bardugo's writing style, though I wouldn't call it as elegant or...more Shadow and Bone has an authentic and fairly original concept, with a breathtaking setting in a fantasy world that is either supposed to be Russia, is based on Russia, or...something to do with Russia. Though S&B could be considered a fantasy novel, it reads more like a paranormal, as I didn't exactly get that "period setting" feel like I did with Melina Marchetta and Kristin Cashore' fantasies. I was impressed with author Leigh Bardugo's writing style, though I wouldn't call it as elegant or fluid as the other two fantasy authors I previously mentioned. And now to move on to characters. Characters make or break a novel, and these characters...my, what a shame! I'm sorry to say, I never felt any ounce of sympathy or caring for her protagonist, Alina, or one of the other principals/love interests, Mal. At all. I also think it's interesting that neither Parental Book Reviews, nor Common Sense media, mentioned the extent of the sexual content in this book. Poor parents, teens, librarians, and other responsible readers. Guess no one's got your back anymore. But on to the rest of the review...

See comments if curious

This used to be a spoiler, but since it's the crux of my review, I decided to "un-spoil" it. So basically, this whole book was ruined for me because of these idiotic, prurient characters. And this may be taking the commentary beyond the book, but I do not understand modern authors' fascination with creating characters like I keep seeing. Yet another example of the type of warped relationships I see in YA lit. Ugh. It's too bad, too, because an entertaining and highly original premise was wasted on vapid characters. Must be a progressive thing, because how a character like Mal could turn anybody's head is beyond me. And what separates me from the majority of other reviewers is that I do not like it when girls act like skanks. I did not like it that our "heroine" was so free with her affections. I do not like it when women are portrayed like cats, who'll just go off with whomever comes their way.. And I don't appreciate girls being portrayed as passive to men, either. There's a character who literally forces himself on our brilliant heroine twice, and she acts like she likes it! If I remember correctly, the quote is: "I hated him. I feared him. But still I felt the strange tug of his power, and I couldn't stop the hungry response of my own treacherous heart." What utter nonsense. The heart in question isn't "treacherous" so much as it's "skanky." Have some self respect! But of course, other reviewers will eat it up because the dude in question is sexy. Well, ladies, I suppose since that's all that matters, that makes it okay. Seriously, the hypocrisy in readers definitely comes out here. Anyone who had the nerve to criticize Stephenie Meyer's Twilight better be singing the same song with this one, because it is much worse. But again, as long as the predator in question is "desirable," it's all okay. I must remain one of the only readers and young women who doesn't women in general portrayed as airhead sexophiles. *shrug*

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Elisa Macheart I loved this book, but it of course won't be for everyone, and I respect your opinion.

I wanted to write because there's something in your review that...more I loved this book, but it of course won't be for everyone, and I respect your opinion.

I wanted to write because there's something in your review that actually offended me: " I do not like it when girls act like skanks. I did not like it that our 'heroine' was so free with her affections. I do not like it when women are portrayed like cats, who'll just go off with whomever comes their way.. And I don't appreciate girls being portrayed as passive to men, either. There's a character who literally forces himself on our brilliant heroine twice, and she acts like she likes it! If I remember correctly, the quote is: 'I hated him. I feared him. But still I felt the strange tug of his power, and I couldn't stop the hungry response of my own treacherous heart.' What utter nonsense. The heart in question isn't 'treacherous' so much as it's 'skanky.' Have some self respect!"

I've really been bothered in the past by characters attracted to guys who show blatantly bad behavior, so I'm on board with the overall point. And I actually read this line as Alina having something dark and powerful in her that reached out to what was dark and powerful in him, but I get how it could be read as you interpreted it, too. The problem I have is calling the character skanky twice and disregarding her as heroine in some respect for being "free with her affections." This feels like slut-shaming to me, and as much as I agree with wanting heroines to be strong and not passive, decisive and not flip-flop, the tone I get from this review is that you dislike her for being attracted to more than one person. Being attracted to multiple people seems very normal to me. It's okay to like more than one person. It's okay to not really be considering kissing someone until they kiss you and then decide to go along with it because there's an attraction there and you want to act on it. It's of course okay if that's just not the kind of heroine you like to read about, but reading your review, I got the sense you felt there was something wrong with her or "bad" about her. For me, it felt like you crossed a line.(less)
Aug 13, 2012 04:25pm

Amelia, the pragmatic idealist Wow, that was a long comment.
Okay, let me explain what I meant. That was not supposed to be "slut-shaming." What I objected to specifically was the in...more
updated Sep 24, 2012 03:56pm

Aug 04, 2012 Zemira Warner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, won, i-own, best-of-2012, cool, flipping-pages, something-else, surprised-me

*does the Carlton dance*

So,my persistence has finally paid off and I won this freaking book after so many tweets and posts and likes.

*continues to Carlton dance*

EDIT

Hey people!

What to say about this book and not sound like a raging fangirl? Well, this will be one of those gif reviews for sure.
When I got it I was all like

wow what a pretty map.
Then I did

for hours.
We meet Darkling and he is mighty fine I have to say.

I am scared to continue so I

Something happens and I am

How did I not s...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Inspired Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

WOW!!!

How did I miss out on reading this one and why haven't I heard more about it? LOVED THIS ONE!! Seriously it was so good!!

See all those exclamation points? There is a reason....Shadow and Bone is probably the best start to a series I have read in a long time. It's one of those books that is worth reading before the series is finished because it is unforgettable.

If you enjoy young adult fantasy I highly recommend you give this one a try sooner rather than later!

Rating: 5 Stars - I loved i...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Love the bad guy? Darkling <3	107	436	May 17, 2013 04:42pm
Mal	22	113	May 17, 2013 12:11pm
Project: Save The Darkling	12	68	May 14, 2013 03:37pm
Urban Fantasy Afi...: April's BOM - Shadow and Bone	22	33	May 14, 2013 11:27am
Book Giveaways: Signed Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo	2	23	Apr 29, 2013 12:41am

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