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In a fantasy country that feels vaguely Russian, Alina and Mal are orphans of a magical war that has stretched over a century. After a lonely childhood with only each other to depend upon, they join the army. Alina is withdrawn and rather useless, while Mal is so charming their fellow officers would follow him to hell, but their friendship remains strong. Then Alina is revealed to be a witch of a particularly rare type, and she is ripped from the army and Mal and thrust into the strange and scar
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2.5. Everyone said that Bardugo's first novel wasn't anywhere near as good as her more recent ones, and gosh darnit, everyone was right.
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I really enjoyed this book. It's a fun, light, YA fantasy , with a touch of "I will always love you" romance.
I like to read the other GR reviews after I finish an interesting book. I especially like to read the bad reviews - they are often enlightening! From what I see, some readers were expecting something different. To help avoid any further disappointment, maybe it will be helpful to list what this book is, and what this book is NOT.
This book is:
1. YA fantasy
2. classic good vs evil
3. set in a ...more
I like to read the other GR reviews after I finish an interesting book. I especially like to read the bad reviews - they are often enlightening! From what I see, some readers were expecting something different. To help avoid any further disappointment, maybe it will be helpful to list what this book is, and what this book is NOT.
This book is:
1. YA fantasy
2. classic good vs evil
3. set in a ...more
though i generally prefer adult fiction, I know several friends who swear by childrens' and YA books because of their inherent "clarity". if you're writing a story for a younger audience, so the argument goes, you first and foremost must tell a gripping tale; all the stylistic flourishes in the world don't mask the lack of one. in the right author's hands, that argument can be proven wonderfully true. much like last year's excellent Daughter of Smoke & Bone, 'Shadow and Bone' is a lot richer and
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Alina and Mal grew up together in an orphanage, and now they work together in the army: Alina as a mapmaker and Mal as a tracker. But during a trip across the Shadow Fold - a dangerous, black desert inhabited by dragon-like vocras, Alina discovers that she possesses the powers of a Grisha. Grisha can manipulate the elements, and she happens to be a Sun Summoner - a type of Grisha that has not been seen in years and who has the potential power to destroy the Shadow Fold. Alina is whisked off by t
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Playing Cards Reading Challenge: 5 of Diamonds
This might have been four stars if I'd read it before Six of Crows, but as it is, it's hard not to compare the later, more polished work with this one. Shadow and Bone is a YA Fantasy that follows a fairly standard girl-comes-from-nowhere-and-is-the-Chosen-One type plot. The girl, in this case, is Alina. Alina's world is interesting and pretty well developed, Russian in flavor. Once I started, the book was compulsively readable, and with one exceptio ...more
This might have been four stars if I'd read it before Six of Crows, but as it is, it's hard not to compare the later, more polished work with this one. Shadow and Bone is a YA Fantasy that follows a fairly standard girl-comes-from-nowhere-and-is-the-Chosen-One type plot. The girl, in this case, is Alina. Alina's world is interesting and pretty well developed, Russian in flavor. Once I started, the book was compulsively readable, and with one exceptio ...more
I really liked the world Bardugo created in this fantasy adventure. I read this book in a day, so you know it had to be pretty good!
A three star book--not bad, just kind of standard--elevated by an excellent audiobook. The reader brought a lot of character to what's otherwise a pretty standard fantasy novel.
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Aug 09, 2012
Esther
marked it as waiting-on-my-shelf
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review of another edition
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Mar 29, 2013
Shante
marked it as to-read
Jul 18, 2013
Jennie
marked it as to-read
Dec 18, 2013
RachelAnne
marked it as to-read
Jun 08, 2014
Morgan
marked it as to-read
Aug 05, 2017
Lidia K
marked it as to-read
Mar 11, 2021
Rachel
marked it as to-read
