SHADOW AND BONE RE-READ!

[[deleted user]]

GUYS! Let’s talk about chapters 6-11! It all goes down.

((Warning! Spoilers for Chapters 6-11.))

Alina arrives at the little palace. All eyes are on her. Everyone believes she is the only one who can save Ravka. No pressure.

With the help of the most “tyrannical redhead” in the world, Genya, Alina goes from exhausted, mousey orphan to flat out fabulous. Genya is a tailor, much like Alina and the Darkling she is unique in her powers.

Along the way Alina learns about the Grisha orders and takes a stand against the Darkling’s orders when she refuses to wear a black kefta because it makes her feel even more like an outsider. Alina doesn’t realise how big a deal wearing a black kefta is until Genya tells her that no one has ever been granted permission to wear one before, save the Darkling.


After being introduced to the King, Queen and Court of Ravka, Alina learns that there is more to Court life then she could have ever imagined. With tons of intrigue and new faces, Alina feels more overwhelmed than ever as she begins her Grisha training.

Alina learns about the different Grisha orders, the strict Grisha caste system and the ins and outs of the palace. As she begins training with the mysterious Baghara, Alina begins to understand more and more about the Small Science behind Grisha power, though her own power remains elusive to her.

What did you think? Would you have turned down a black kefta? What about the Darkling? How about his interest in Alina’s progress? What were your first impressions of Genya? Baghara? Reading Shadow and Bone for the first time? What stood out to you in these chapters? Re-reading? Which bits were you happiest to revisit? Which Grisha are you? If you’re wondering you can take the quiz here: http://grishatrilogy.com/quiz/

[Carina]

Hah, yes, I would have turned down a black kefta :) But ohh. How I loved all these chapters in Shadow and Bone. <3 The book is just gorgeous.

[Bee]

I still love this! Alina is awesome.

[Claire]

I love the bits with the darkling, and while he was never honest with her about his plans, I still think he was lonely and was drawn to Alina that was genuine, which is why it affected him so badly when she left. Not just because he had lost her power.

[Athena]

I love this book, it was different and made you feel like the main character was actually young-naive-full of promise but not necessarily the wisdom to know what side is right and who to trust. so mant times when you read these novels its like the main character either is clueless and simply repeatedly falls into saving the day/her own butt or somehow has the ability to go from naive about herself/new world to somehow guessing/fuguring out all the right answers (usually after atleast one failed attempt/getting butt kicked in a unfight. instead this book walks us down the path of finding out that the good guys dont always get/suddenly figure out all the questions and that coming of age/grow into ones powers/knowing which instincts to trust is something that takes time and dozens of tests (to ace and fail) before one can truly evdn catch a glimpse of the wisdom that comes experience. I hate the jump most books make from new student to suddenly thinking they are smarter/stronger then those that both teach and oppose them. life is meant to have many stumbles, to take turns no one can predict and leave some mysteries simply unsolvable. here you get the feel that her growth and the unfolding of the world she (thinks) she knows is on a time line that feels natrual instead of rushed. plus she feels truly human, we dont always make the right call, sometimes we know the truth of something immediately but convice ourselves we dont just as fast. as for reading (re-reading in time) some might look into audible or an audio verson of the books. kindle and audible now work together offering deals for the audik version if kindle one is owned. its rather faster (since listening can be done while doing things that reading can not be done during) and offers a second fresh take since you are able to hear inflictions of tones and focus more on details.

[Maryanne]

Guys, when we were supposed to read chapter 1-5...before i read the whole book within the two hours....sorry.

[Fierce Reads]

The Sun Summoner Summons! A Kiss Between Light and Dark! The Tracker Returns! The Darkling’s…well, dark intentions come to light.

I opened my hands and the light bloomed right through me, filling the room, illuminating the stone walls, the old tile oven, and every angle of Baghra’s strange face. It surrounded me, blazing with heat, more powerful and more pure than ever before because it was all mine. I wanted to laugh, to sing, to shout. At last, there was something that belonged wholly and completely to me.

By letting go of Mal, Alina is finally able to harness her power and call the light at will. She begins to train more with Baghra and believes in herself, her own powers, in ways she never has before.

....And did we mention that the Darkling and Alina kiss?

“Why do you care what I think?”
He looked genuinely baffled. “I don’t know,” he said. “But I do.”
And then he kissed me.




AND if that weren't earth shattering enough, Mal appears at the Little Palace with his patrol, saying he'd never received Alina's letters. He's angry that he didn't know what had happened to her or if she was OK and had volunteered to help hunt the Stag. He and Alina fight, and he leaves.

AND when Baghra finds out that the Darkling is close to having the Stag, she goes to Alina in the middle of the night and tells her she needs to leave the Little Palace immediately. The Darkling isn't who he says he is. He wants to use Alina to take complete control of the fold and of the World. He's been using her.



“How could anyone use the Shadow Fold as a weapon?”
She leaned into me, her fingers digging into my flesh. “By expanding it.”



With the revelation that there has only ever been ONE Darkling, the same one who created the Shadow Fold is the same Darkling who kissed Alina, Alina agrees to go. She leaves the Little Palace in the middle of the night, the Darkling's guards after her.

Alina is spotted by the Darkling's guards and runs into a woods, trying to escape. She's sure they'll catch her but she decides she won't go back, she'll take a stand. She doesn't need to, because instead of the Darkling's guards finding her...Mal finds her.

"Mal?" I whispered into the night,"
"What?"
"Thanks for finding me."
I wasn't sure if I was dreaming, but somewhere int he dark, I thought I heard him whisper, "Always."



Together, Alina and Mal decide to go look for the stag so they can find it before the Darkling does.

[야일]

i looovvveee these freaking chapters. gah

[Bee]

Just finished it. =)

[[deleted user]]

What an ending! Wow! We can’t stop talking about it in the office.

But first, let’s recap.

Warning SPOILERS for Chapters 18-End

We join Alina and Mal as they travel across Tsibeya in the search for Morozova’s stag. Alina and Mal finally discuss what’s happened and clear the air after everything that went down at the Little Palace. We find out what Mal has been up to all these months and Alina and Mal reconcile their friendship.

And THEN we have a proper Mal swoon at the start of Chapter 19!!

“I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.”


We finally found Morozova’s stag and wow. Alina has an epic moment of connection with the stag and decides to spare the stag’s life.

And then the Darkling arrives . . . and it all goes terribly wrong.

The Darkling kills the stag and has David fashion a collar from the antlers for Alina. Alina and Mal are once again prisoners of the Darkling and the dangerous Darkling now has the ability to control Alina through the collar.



The Darkling plans to use Alina’s power to turn the Fold into a weapon. He plans an elaborate demonstration of Alina’s powers when they reach the Fold. Alina reunites with Genya and realizes the role that everyone has played in the Darkling’s nefarious plans.

The Darkling takes Alina, Mal along with a skiff filled with dignitaries onto the Fold to demonstrate Alina’s powers.

And then . . . it all goes wrong for the Darkling!


Alina discovers that she can control her power because she spared the stag’s life. Alina uses her power so that she and Mal escape can across the Fold leaving the remains people on the skiff in darkness.
Alina and Mal are on the run from the Darkling and determined to find a way to bring down the Darkling.
What did you think of that ending? What’s next for Mal and Alina? What do you hope happens next in Siege and Storm?

Wow. Wow. Wow. We’re just going to go and grab our copies of Siege and Storm and start reading!

[Zeke]

I loved this book and I am currently forcing my best friend to read it.

[Connie]

Finished reading this book a month ago and recently I picked up the sequel. So can't wait to start with that.

I love Mal and Alina together and I do not like the Darkling. He's so evil and twisted. Could he really redeem himself? With couple relationships, I'm really rooting for Mal and Alina.

[Maryanne]

I love the Darkling.