SHADOW AND BONE, by Leigh Bardugo

AUTHOR  Leigh Bardugo

RATING 5/5

ABOUT THE SAGA The Shadow Fold is a portion of land made of shadows and full of real monsters that divides the country of Ravka in two. Magic exists in certain people called Grisha who serve the kingdom as an elite military group led by The Darkling, the most powerful man in Ravka. Alina, an orphan with powers she didn't even know she had will become the clue to end both the Shadow Fold and the war and she will be a piece in the political and sentimental plots of The Darkling.

ABOUT SHADOW AND BONE In this first book of the trilogy, we follow Alina's story as she's serving in The First Army since she didn't manifest any powers. When her regiment is attacked, she will finally show a very rare and big power and she could be the one who will finally destroy the Shadow Fold. She will have to be trained as a Grisha and will have to work side by side with The Darkling in figuring out a way to end the war. 


REVIEW.

This saga is one of the most recommended ones in YA fantasy genre. And I found that it has so many mixed reviews that I really didn't know what to expect. And I LOVED IT.

Inspired in the russian culture, the atmosphere, the world building and magic system were very well done, and that was what worked for me. I felt very immersed in the pages the whole time, like I could literally picture the world and scenes and the whole winter and war atmosphere. I could find the details of the russian influence throughout the book, but with the whole original world created by Leigh Bardugo. It was the perfect combination.

The idea of darkness being something tangible and real was very interesting.

As for the characters, Bardugo did a really good job in making some lovable characters. I read in the worst reviews that people found Alina's insecurities annoying but I found them reasonable for an orphan who grew with no family and no power and no abilities. And the plot worked well for me in part due to us following her development and story.

My favorite character was THE VILLAIN. I mean, I loved The Darkling. I ROOTED for him. I read a Goodreads review that said "you're gonna question your moral compass and you're gonna be happy about it". And yes, this was it for me.

I think that the darker aspects of the story, which I loved, could have been taken further, and some moments felt very trivial. But I mean, I get this is a YA catalogued book and this is something I find in every YA book. Totally personal opinion and the things I don't like so much about YA.

I could describe my reading experience with this one as if I was walking through a mist. I didn't know what was going to happen next, and was surprised at every moment. You are never entirely sure about the characters or the story or the romance and the plot twists work very well in this one. There was always something to discover.

In general, it was a big yes for me. Fantasy at its best.

RECOMMENDED IF YOU

-If you like good fantasy books, with good characters and good world building.

-If you like falling in love with villains.

-If you like atmospheric books.



Lu.