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.
Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy. This title has Common Core connections.
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Sexual Content - 2/5
2/5
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Violence - 3/5
3/5
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Language - 1/5
1/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 2/5
2/5
Summary
My first thought when I picked up Shadow and Bone was 'This book is going to be awesome'. I was so right. It had an interesting concept to start with; I hadn't read a YA book with a Russian theme before (and I read a LOT of YA books) and while there seemed to be quite a few witch-type people in it (which usually bores me if there's not any good fighting or explosions) the people with magical powers were fighting a war. Which is extremely cool. The plot was excellent. There were quite a few plot twists that surprised me, and the theme was surprisingly original, something you don't see a lot in YA these days, where either the apocalypse has arrived, or someone's hot boyfriend isn't human. Speaking of hotties, the male characters had me drooling. The female characters were also very strongly built, and I liked how the protagonist wasn't perfect but she was strong and relateable. But I had never read a book where I felt such a strong attachment to the villain. As in, I was rooting for him. Kind of. The world-building in this book was fantastic. I practically felt like I was in Ravka. I could see it. I could hear it. I could smell it. That doesn't happen very often. In all, I felt like this was a fantastic read and anyone would enjoy it, mostly because it has EVERYTHING. Magic. Romance. Explosions. Monsters. Palaces. Politics. And the most delicious villain you'll ever meet in fiction.
Violence-I felt like this book was pretty violent. It's been a while since I last read it, but I remember people getting mauled by monsters and killed by other people. It also had some sadistic violence, like that excellent villain I mentioned earlier keeping people as slaves and threatening to torture them.
Language-Not very much
Sexual-No sex, some kissing and sex is mentioned but never happens
Drug & Alcohol-There was some drinking if I remember correctly, but what's a palace without some wine?