Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Pages: 358
Source: ALA
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
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.
REASONS WHY THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME:
- Emotionally evoking read? YES.
- Guys, this book made me feel the FEELS. I laughed at Alina's almost snarky, sarcastic humor, I felt my heart do TEN THOUSAND leaps during the steamy/cutesy times, I teared up (which is something that does NOT happen often) MANY times, and I had my heart pummeled and crushed into billions of pieces.
- Oh yes, everyone, this book pulls many Cassie Clare-like tricks on you. Anyone read Clockwork Prince? Yeah, my heart was ripped out and stomped on as many times when I read CP. *sniffle* (And, I secretly enjoyed it but don't tell anyone that.)
- ALINA. You awesome heroine, you!
- Yes, that one word is a key aspect of why I loved this book so much! Far from those vapid ninnies YA books seem to call heroines nowadays, Alina was such a well written character. Realistic with a humorous voice, it was so so fun to read things from her perspective.
- The way she acted in her situations was so realistic. The whole time I was reading this I kept thinking, "OH! I WOULD DO THE SAME THING TOO!" I love it when I can relate to characters.
- I actually ADORE this love triangle.
- Well, it's not necessarily a love triangle, but I seriously could not stop myself from rooting for both guys! When you haven't picked a side because you're so TORN between the two, that... THAT is when you know that it's a good romance.
- Pushing the two equally sexy men my heart pines for aside, I am so happy to say I hardly found any trace of instant love. The steamy scenes were practically BUILT on damn good romantic tension, and the scenes where it made my heart go "AWWW!" were absolutely adorable and completely believable.
- Pertaining to the love triangle up above, Mal and Darkling. ENOUGH SAID.
- Well, I will say that each have their own attractive qualities which made me fall hard for both of them. The Darkling has more of this mysterious, infuriatingly sexy allure to him, while Mal's allure is just plain cute and charming.
- THE WRITING. OH MY GOSH.
- The prose in Shadow and Bone doesn't necessarily elicit the kind of vibe you get from elegant, beautiful writing, but more reminiscent to that of Suzanne Collins: engaging and compelling where it didn't let me go after I read the first sentence.
- Surprise, twists, and shocks, oh my!
- Shadow and Bone definitely threw me in for a whirl. I practically did not see half of the things coming, and some of them were so shocking that it actually made my heart tear itself in half!
- This Russian inspired high fantasy KICKS BUTT.
- Why does it kick one's arse? Well because of the world building! Filled with lavish descriptions and rich settings, Shadow and Bone was a book I wanted to take my time delving into. From the kefta to the kvas to the Grisha themselves, I loved every single aspect!
Point is? This book is like a sweet, sugary treat. I savored every last bit I could get out of it, and I cannot wait for more!
