BOOK REVIEW: Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1), by Leigh Bardugo ~ Greetings from Ravka! *SPOILERS & DISCUSSION*
“The problem with wanting,” he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, “is that it makes us weak.”
~ Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1), by Leigh Bardugo
There are books you’ve read in the past and really liked. These same books come back one day, you reread them, and you fall deeply in love with them. Because they came back when you need them the most.
That was the case with the first instalment of The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo, which I reread last month and it honestly saved my financial a$$!
“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.”
Starting with the non-spoiler section of this novel and focusing on the technicalities of the book, I have to say that, once again, I fell in love with Leigh Bardugo’s writing style, with the characters and the world she created. I loved the fact that it was pretty easy for me to make pictures inside my head, see the places and the people as if they were all real. I loved the multicultural elements, the fact that there was diversity, as well as the fact that there’s representation of a not-so-popular and common folklore, such as the Russian one.
Although the narration was a bit slow at first, due to the world-building and the introductions of the characters, that didn’t make me love the book any less. That is because there was action throughout the entire novel, from beginning to end, ups and downs, relationships flourishing and tumbling down, especially after certain revelations and plot twists.
More specifically, on what comes to the relationships, I loved that each and everyone of them, except perhaps one, took their time to because what they were in the end. I loved how we were introduced to certain traits of each character’s personality. It was nice to see that all of them had their flaws, even though, once again, the protagonist is, more of less, the Chosen One.
“Fine,” he said with a weary shurg. “Make me your villain.”
~ Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1), by Leigh Bardugo
With that being said, let me move on to the spoilery part of this review. Although at this point, and with the show being the new Netflix phenomenon, I don’t think there are many people anymore who don’t know what happens in this novel.
Still, if you haven’t read the book, you haven’t watched the show, and you don’t want to be spoiled, I suggest you stop reading ASAP.
*DISCALIMER. SPOILERS COMING UP.*Let me start this spoilery section by saying…
DARKLING, MY LOVE, COME TAKE ME TO THE FOLD! 
Seriously y’all… I know that he’s an anti-hero (because to me, he’s certainly not a villain through and through) and I know that being in any sort of relationship with him would’ve been toxic to say the least, but… I can see where he’s coming from.
I don’t mind that there are red flags flowing in the air every other page (and honestly, I don’t know what this says about me as a person), but it would’ve been nice to interact with the Darkling and just have him take me away from this shitshow we call reality.
Still, even if it wasn’t the Darkling, I would’ve loved having someone like Genya as a friend. Again, I can’t say that she’s either a hero or a villain. She’s just… human. And that’s what makes, not only her, but every Bardugo character, special.
They all have light and darkness inside them. It’s what they choose to use more that makes them who they truly are.
Take Mal, for instance. Straight from the beginning, we know that Alina is in love with him, yet he takes her for granted until everyone discovers she’s the Sun Summoner and she’s taken away to the Little Palace for her own “protection”.
He’s absent for pretty much the entire book, until the very end, where he comes to say that he wanted to come and find her, he “sees her” and he will always be there for her. I know they are endgame and everything, but still… This felt a little bit like emotional manipulation to me.
If it wasn’t for the show, I would’ve been even crueler towards Mal, but the Netflix adaptation made me grow a little bit fonder of him.
““I love you, Alina, even the part of you that loved him.”
He grinned and my heart flip-flopped the way it always had.”
~ Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1), by Leigh Bardugo
On what comes to the plot, it was nice to see that Alina wasn’t a natural. This made me appreciate the book more. She struggled with her training as a Grisha, she had to push harder to become good at physical combat and she became more mature, less naive, as the story progressed.
The final battle inside the Fold was literally EVERYTHING to me! It was nice to see all the progress Alina had made and how she was able to finally control her power, without any help from the Darkling. But the Darkling, as well… Boy, he was such a badass!
The finale left so many avenues open and, even though I know what’s gonna happen in the next book, I can’t wait to reread it and get back to the Grishaverse once more.
All in all, I loved the book and I ended up rating it with 5 out of 5 stars. I mean, come on! This is Leigh Bardugo we’re talking about!
Let me know in the comment section down below if you have read the book, if you’ve watched the show and what are your thoughts and feelings towards them both.
Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.
Love you all to Pluto and back, awesome creatures. Have a wonderful weekend y’all, stay safe and stay positive.
Till next time… Toodles!
