From the Bookshelf of The Introvert Readers…

Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)

Leigh Bardugo

Start date: April 1, 2021

Finish date: April 30, 2021

Discussion: BOTM

Discussion leader: Maple

Why we're reading this: It won the April BOTM Poll
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What Members Thought

Apr 21, 2021 Tharindu Dissanayake rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites-fiction

"The usual. Life. Love. The melting point of iron ore."

Having read Six of Crows first, I was a little worried about reading Shadow and Bone. Based on a lot of reviews, I thought this will fall way behind SoC, resulting in a dull read. Turns out all that anxiety was not necessary at all. This might not be as conniving or eventful as SoC, but things turned out way better than I had hoped. I know it's not fair to compare the two, with Shadow and Bone series coming first, so I'm going to stop myself "The usual. Life. Love. The melting point of iron ore."

Having read Six of Crows first, I was a little worried about reading Shadow and Bone. Based on a lot of reviews, I thought this will fall way behind SoC, resulting in a dull read. Turns out all that anxiety was not necessary at all. This might not be as conniving or eventful as SoC, but things turned out way better than I had hoped. I know it's not fair to compare the two, with Shadow and Bone series coming first, so I'm going to stop myself from doing that as much as possible...

Compared to the average YA fantasy book, I have no complaints about the plot. It felt unique, thrilling, and plenty interesting (again, when not compared to SoC). It's always great to dive in to a new world of fantasy, full of interesting characters, and complemented by a vivid world. We all know how great Bardugo is at that. This first book of Grishaverse offers a fast-paced series of events, with some minor twists here and there. I would've preferred it be a little more complicated, with a couple of interesting side quests, but, we are only progressing along a single story line for now. Still, it's a good one.

"Close your mouth. You look like a trout."

I have to hand it to Bardugo for her consistent, and engaging style of writing, which is something that's going to captivate the reader from beginning. Just like with SoC, she effortlessly build up the world, with some amazing elements. With that said, this is all a lot less complex than Kerch. I loved the set of characters as well. Alina Starkov, the firs-person protagonist is so much fun, and there was never a dull moment with her. Secondary characters were also interesting, even down to villains.

I'm still somewhat confused on whether or not I should've read this trilogy before SoC. Even though the trilogy came first, I feel like reading SoC first wasn't mistake. It made me fall in love with the world Bardugo created (much better than Shadow and Bone would've done if this had been my first visit to this world), and I believe it helped me navigate this one smoothly. SoC gave me a great first impression to this amazing world, which will not fade away easily. True, this does not come even closely to SoC when it comes to suspense, or the complexity of characters, but it was interesting enough. Had I started with this one first, I can't help but wonder, things might've been different, and not for the better. With that being said, as interesting as this one was, when compared, it didn't have the same energy to pull in the reader as it was with SoC duology. But I'm hoping that things will continue to better with next two.

"Why can a Grisha possess but one amplifier? I will answer this question instead: What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men."
...more

451 likes · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2021 Gabriela Almeida rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, friends-to-lovers

Me: today in the YA world we are going to interview the principal cast of shadow and bone. Here with us we have the bright Alina, her friend Mal and the best villain Darkling 💕

Alina: Hi everyone I am so happy for being here

Mal: Hi

Darkling (silence)

Me: first question is for Alina. How did you feel when you discover your power?

Alina: Well, at first, I was scared and sad because I would have to leave Mal behind

Mal (holding Alina's hand) You know I will never leave you behind

Darkling: puff

Ali ...more

61 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2021 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-enjoyed

HEY GUYYS 🤪 Yes.. yes I am back. I am alive. Or am i... 🧐 ANYWHOOOOO... Ok so I just finished Shadow and bone and lets just stop right there.

"You and I are going to change the world."

LET ME HAVE MY FANGIRLING MOMENT. Ok. Ok. I am good now. So this is my first time reading shadow and bone, and I read it because, well, I want to watch the show. There are some flaws.. I am not saying there are no flaws. But the book is still interesting 😅

Brief Description:

The main character, Alina Starkov is an ...more

40 likes · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2021 Lorelei rated it it was ok

Shelves: owned, 2021-books

~~~2 Stars~~~

27 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2021 Lorena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Reread 2021: 4 ☆

Just as good as I recall it was. The only difference is that this time I got much more invested in the story. I simply love the concept. For some reason though I never truly appreciated the world-building and it really baffles me now, baring in mind how well thought out it is. The Grishaverse is fascinating, magical and, in my opinion, quite ingenious.

What surprised was that I actually liked Alina while she wasn't particularly memorable the first time I met her. The most intrigu ...more

23 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2021 Annie Bookworm rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I think the story has some potential, but I honestly don't get the major hype. The only reason I managed to finish it, was because it improved after 65% into the story... The last couple of chapters managed to hook me, but I'm still not completely sold.

The MC Alina annoyed me so much. I couldn't handle that she's self-damaging and continuously compared her to others and made her feel worse about herself. No one should feel that way about themselves or deserve to feel that way. The negativity fel ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2020 The Lost Heroine (hiatus) rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-books, fiction, reviewed

Second reread-
Me realising the differences between show Alina and book Alina: 🤦‍♀️
Me realising Mal is pretty much worse: 🙄
Me having forgotten half of the book and then going 'Ohhhh that happened in the show!' and gawping at how similar it is: 😬
Me wondering how the hell I rated it 5 ⭐: 😑 ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 23, 2020 Cass (all too tired) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-with-pride

~~Paper and Hearts Review:~~
No. Our new club name is the 'The Little Bookwomen' (Rosie - Amy, Vio - Meg, Sunmin - Jo, Me - Beth)

3.050625 stars

Beth (AKA Carissa) enjoyed the powers in the Grisha world
Meg (AKA Vio) enjoyed the adventure and suspense
Amy (AKA Rosie) enjoyed the thrill of reading the book
Jo (AKA Sunmin) enjoyed how stags get killed, no, BURNED, because she is a dark person at times, and you should never underestimate her

Beth (AKA Carissa) disliked how the girls were represented, 'c ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

May 31, 2021 Charity (Booktrovert Reader) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Best book I have read in a long time. Finally followed the hype and read the book. Love the story and the world that is created. Thought reading it close to the end, it reminded me of certain other series such as Throne of Glass.
This book does happen in a way that makes you wonder what will happen next which is a far cry to what I am use to reading. Would recommend this book to anyone.

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2021 winnie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, ya, fantasy, romance

3.5 ⭐

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2020 Tris rated it liked it · review of another edition

Loved the writing style. The audiobook is also amazing! I listened to it while reading the test and it was a wonderful experience. I liked Alina as a protagonist. She is a relatable character and acts to her age unlike some of the other YA characters and I hope this is maitained even as her character developes in the series. She is pretty humorous and made me crack up several times in the story. I didn't like Mal that much(if not hate him) and absolutely hated his relationship with Alina in the ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2020 Kelsea Janae Hamm rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This Was Such A Great Intro To This Series
I Loved The World Building Was Amazing
The Writing Was Amazing
The Characters I Liked The Darkling He Was Cute
And Alina Was A Great And Strong Main Character
I Cannot Wait To Read The Rest Of The Series

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 25, 2021 Grace rated it really liked it

I’m perplexed by how much I actually liked this??? HOW DID I NOT READ THIS SOONER?? 4.4 stars

Honestly not gonna do a full review here bc I’m already onto the next in the series and I can’t remember *exactly* what was in the first vs second books but some highlights

1) well developed characters with strong motivations

2) the “love triangle” (with a broken leg between mal and the darkling. I’m sure some fanfiction somewhere says otherwise but this is referring to canon.) I’m not a fan of the fall ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2022 Lαυɾαღ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2022-bookshelf

I'm sure I could say my favourite character is Darkling. I'm literally in love with him. Somewhere I wanted the Darkling to be an unappreciated good character. *SPOILER* he is not...I really liked the story, the world building, the characters.
I'm so excited to start the show and watch everything on screen. ...more

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