Friday Reads: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

It’s not every day you see a fantasy novel drawing its cultural inspiration from Russia, and after reading Shadow and Bone, you might start to wonder why that is.

Bardugo draws on a mix of history and imagination mingled with the atmosphere of a dark fairy tale in order to create the world of Shadow and Bone. The book is a very personal sort of take on  the usual high fantasy story. Sure, there’s a school that teaches magic and the main character has a gift that sets her apart from everyone else, but where the novel really shines is in its portrayal of its characters.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This is a quote we’ve all probably seen again and again, and it’s one that’s really taken to task here. Shadow and Bone, at its heart, is a novel about power. What it does to the people with it and to those without it. One of the strongest elements of the novel might be its characterization of its lead villain. A lot of books these days, especially fantasy, are trying to humanize their antagonists, but even still most of them don’t give us the kind of up-close view that Bardugo does.

In fact, I’d say more time is spent developing the antagonist than anyone else. And I’m all right with that. For the most part, we already know what the heroes are like. They do have their own journeys and they’re all very interesting, but it’s the way in which they react to the antagonist and the temptation of power that really creates interesting situations within the book.

Overall: One part fantasy, one part character drama, with a strong dose of romance.  At turns haunting and beautiful, Shadow and Bone presents a unique, bleak landscape that makes the perfect backdrop for its story. I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Learn More: Find Shadow and Bone on Amazon; Leigh Bardugo’s Tumblr

If you liked this book you might also like: The Green Rider by Kristen Britain; Graceling by Kristin Cashore