Shadow and Bone was a marvelous fantasy tale. Bardugo created relatable characters and paired them with an exceptional fictional world. The hype of this book has been large. As with many popular books, they have the tendency to have all the same qualities. Not this one. Shadow and Bone is like nothing I have ever read. I can't wait to finish the trilogy. Pick up this fantastic series today! It's fresh, unique, and filled with action.
Alina Starkov is an orphan. She was an abused child living in a house with a wretched duke, and cared for by an even more horrible lady, named Ana Kuya. Alina's life was drained of love. But when Mal , another orphan, shows up they immediately have a deep connection. Mal and Alina's relationship lays the foundation for this novel. They are the center that holds the world together. Mal is the only person that Alina can rely on. He is her rock. Alina has been in love with him since the beginning.
The fictional world of Shadow and Bone is incredible. It's kind of hard to explain, though. Basically you have the country of Ravka, which is separated by the Unsea, or the Shadow Fold. The Shadow Fold was created hundreds of years ago and contains killer creatures called Volcra. Volcra are flying creatures that used to be the people living in the area before the Fold was created.
Mal and Alina are both stationed near the fold in the First Army. Mal is a tracker and Alina is a mapmaker. This isn't a normal military base though. In Bardugo's world, there are Grisha. The Grisha are people with powers. They live in the Little Palace and are treated like royalty. However, the less important or powerful Grisha serve in the army, as well. There is a very distinct line between normal humans and Grisha. They do not associate with each other.
During Alina and Mal's service, they travel with an army into the Shadow Fold. This is a daunting task that will have many casualties. Not even the Grisha can protect the army from the dangerous Volcra. Mal and Alina are both at the brink of death. Their skin torn from the Volcra's sharp claws. As Alina's life slips, a bright light as large as the sun shines out of Alina herself.
When Alina comes too, she finds herself in the Grisha tent. Confused, she tries to play off what happened on the ship. There was no way she could be Grisha. She had been tested as a child and wasn't. There was simply no way. But the Darkling has other views on the situation. The Darkling is the leader of the Grisha. He is the ruler of the Little Palace and corresponds with the King himself. He has dark gray eyes and a handsome smile that everyone seems to fancy.
The Darkling is also an amplifier. Meaning he can increase the power in a Grisha significantly. Items can also be amplifiers, and this comes into play a little bit later. The Darkling takes Alina into his grasp, and again, she lights up like the sun. The word choice and imagery that Bardugo uses in this part of the story is incredible. Having a girl light up brightly may seem a little odd, but the way that the author beautifully explains it makes is magical. The Darkling pronounces Alina as the Sun Summoner. She is destined to team up with the Darkling and eradicate the Shadow Fold entirely. She is taken away from camp, away from Mal, and to the Little Palace, to live her life as a Grisha
Alina is revered at the Little Palace. She is prayed to and touched carefully. The Darkling goes to great lengths to protect Alina from harm. She is too important to risk. Without her and her light, there is no way to cross and destroy the Fold. This is the Darkling's only goal.
Alina knows how important it is that she learn to use her powers. She needs them to help the Darkling! In her various lessons, she fails. Whether it is with her powers or in hand to hand combat. She lacks behind the other Grisha in everything, even theory. Alina misses Mal terribly and writes to him every week. However, she never receives a reply.
Bagrha is Alina's teacher. She helps her control her power and pushes her incredibly hard. Almost too hard. There are times when the Darkling comes in and snaps at Baghra for pushing Alina too hard. The Darkling and Baghra have a very tense relationship, and Alina wants to know why. The Darkling and Alina have been getting closer and closer. But when she asks about Baghra, the Darkling just shrugs it off.
Alina's only friend in the Little Palace is Genya. Genya is one of the lower classes of Grisha. She is able to change the appearance of a person. Her main project is with the queen, because the queen always has to look good, right? Genya also helps Alina look better after her stressful days. Genya and Alina often eat dinner together and discuss the Little Palace as friends often do.
The other Grisha aren't so inviting to Alina. As the Sun Summoner, she works alone. Other Etherealki (a type of Grisha that controls the elements) usually work in pairs or groups, which makes Alina the odd one out. She also receives special treatment from the Darkling. For example, each Griash wears a Kefta. This is a large jacket or wrap that they wear. The different colors represent the different category of Grisha. Black is the Darkling's color, and he wants Alina to wear it too. Even thought it is a great honor, Alina turns it down. Eventually the Darkling gives her a black Kefta without asking her.
I really liked reading about Alina's time in the Little Palace. It was interesting to learn about all the Grisha that lived there. They all have such unique qualities, but are really relatable. Genya falls for a man that is plain, when she is the most beautiful Grisha there is. The other Etherealki, as Alina describes them, are fake. They act like the common high school girl today. Sucking up to the most popular and talking bad about people behind their backs.
Now let's talk about the most interesting part of Alina's stay at the Little Palace.
The Darkling and Alina's relationship.
When the Darkling first kissed Alina, I felt like it had taken him long enough. They obviously had some tension going on. Alina was strongly attracted to the Darkling, as were many people. She never told anyone what was really going on between them. In this part of the book I really liked the Darkling. He was dark (obviously) and mysterious. There were secrets in his eyes that the readers wanted to know. But these secrets were more horrible than anyone could imagine.
One of the best parts of the book is the Ceremony held for the Grisha. When the Darkling and Alina step on stage in their black keftas. They put on a show of interweaving light and dark. It is described so beautifully. At this point, the Darkling and Alina's magic flow together like it was destiny.
Next in the story we learn about the Stag. Going back to what I said about amplifiers being objects. This isn't a ordinary Stag. It is part of a herd that is said to be legend. If Alina kills the Stag, the antlers can be used as an amplifier so she can use her power freely. She is still having difficulty in her classes with Baghra and there is no time to waste. She needs this amplifier. The Darkling thinks it was made for her.
Now it's time for the plot twist! So if you are reading this review and have not read the book, please read it. It will be much more fun.
Was I the only one who didn't see the twist coming. The only one who actually liked the Darkling? I simply can't be alone, right? Of course I knew there would be some kind of twist that drew Alina back to Mal, otherwise what was the point of having their relationship in the beginning!? I knew there was going to be a twist, but wasn't expecting this. Come on, me, his name is Darkling for Pete's sake.
So the Darkling has been lying. He isn't planning on destroying the Shadow Fold. He is planning on extending it. Baghra pulls Alina from her room and tells her she has to run. This moment was so intense. I trusted the Darkling's words. I didn't see anything that told me not to. I am sure that a re-read would warrant a lot of reasons though. But in this moment, i felt exactly as Alina did. Scared and betrayed and alone.
Baghra tells Alina everything she couldn't tell her before. She is the Darkling's mother. She knew about his evil plans the whole time, but knew that he couldn't do it without the Stag. She didn't believe in the Stag at all, so she didn't think there was a reason to panic. But a powerful tracker has located the Stag, and it was just a matter of time until the plan would be revealed by the Darkling himself. She urges Alina to run, because the Darkling is pure evil. He created the Fold in the first place, and now, he wants to rule the world with it.
I couldn't believe any of the words I had read. I just stared at my Kindle for a few moments. Wait...what? What about the kisses and the moments that Alina and the Darkling shared? I admit that I like Mal more than the Darkling, but it was still an intriguing relationship. And the way it was written was just flawless. I was sad to see it go, but if the Darkling had been lying about his goals, he wasn't good for Alina anyway.
Alina runs. She escapes the Little Palace and heads toward the mountains-the last place she heard the Stag being mentioned. The Darkling's plot has a lot of terrifying aspects. For one, he is planning on killing the Stag himself and forcing the horns on Alina. By doing this, he will have complete control of her powers, and can use the light to escape the Volcra, and use his own power to extend the Fold and seize power.
Alina spends days freezing to death in the mountains. She knows she will never find the Stag on her own. Thankfully, she runs into our heroic Mal. The guy we were waiting over half the book to make his daring return. He does. He more than does. Mal and Alina's reunion is amazing. They tell each other about their feelings. it turns out Mal never received the mail from Alina, so he assumed the worst. There were rumors that she was being tortured, so he teamed up with the Grisha to help find the Stag. He knows the location, and had to lead the entire tracking crew in the wrong direction.
I didn't think this fantasy book would be so centered on their romance. Mal and Alina have a great story to tell. It wasn't some cheesy love at first sight thing. They had chemistry. They had a lot of it. The tension between them was even more than Alina and the Darkling. I love the friendship of Mal and Alina. It was a delightful addition to the plot. They reminisce about the time spent with Ana Kuya. While with Mal, Alina has an epiphany.
Yes, she was tested to see if she was Grisha as a child. She felt the power being pulled out against her will. however, she realized what this meant. It meant a separation from Mal. She would never see him again. He would be here all alone. She faught against the amplifier with everything she had inside her. And for some crazy reason. It worked. She loved Mal enough to hide her Grisha abilities. She hid the fact from herself. She told herself she was human so many times that she started to believe it.
Alina and Mal search for the Stag together. During the journey, Alina asks an uncomfortable favor from Mal. More than uncomfortable, it was devastating. Alina knows what will happen if the Darkling finds the Stag and puts the antler collar on her. She will have no choice to obey. To guide him in it mad search for power. She asked Mal to killer her before the Darkling got ahold of her. It was a really deep moment for the two of them and their relationship. She asked the for the one thing that he could not supply. But he agreed anyway.
When they find the Stag, Mal goes to bring it down. Alina has a split second to make the kill, because the Darkling and his forces are close. So , so close. And Alina can't do it. She can't kill the helpless animal. In this moment of weakness, the Darkling arrives and murders it. The life drains out of the Stag and the Darkling demands the antlers be cut to make the amplifier. Alina and Mal are taken hostage. The collar is places around Alina's neck and the Darkling takes control.
The group makes a return to the Little Palace. Nobody knows the real reason that Alina left. She begs the Darkling to show mercy to Mal, and he refuses. He tells Alina that Mal will be left in the Fold to die.
The night that Alina spends in the jail cells with Mal was very touching. They could only hold hands through the bars. The destruction of Mal was coming, and there wasn't anything either of them could do to change it. This moment in their relationship was heartbreaking. I had fallen in love with Mal, and was going to be devastated if something happened to him.
When the group of Grisha and soldiers make their way out onto the Fold, we witness the true horror of the Darkling. As he uses Alina to take out the Volcra, he is completely ruthless. After this night on the boat, the Darkling is one of my most hated villains in fantasy. Alina is a fighter. She fights every time the Darkling takes her powers. It's just not enough. The Darkling uses his own powers and extends the Fold into the nearby village. At this second, he turns into a true monster. He kills everyone in the village to extend the Fold. He leaves them to the Volcra.
The Darkling's character development is surreal. He is horrifying and terrible. He acts in a strange and calm manner, which just makes it worse. He went from a leader that I respected to an awful, merciless monster. The other Grisha are surprised by the plan of the Darkling, but nobody will help Alina. She must fight this battle on her own.
Mal is tossed out of the boat and the Darkling forces Alina to pull her light away from him, leaving his to the ravenous Volcra. Alina isn't finished, though. Her second epiphany is ever more powerful than the first. She realizes that she has the right to the amplifier collar as much as the Darkling does. She showed the Stag mercy, which the Darkling would never be able to do. Mercy wins over murder. She finds her power again. The Darkling's grasp is easy to shrug off and she rescues Mal, leaving the ship and the Darkling to die in the Fold.
This book was fantastic. It deserves every star it got. I am thrilled to read more from Leigh Bardugo. This author is so talented. This world was painted with love, friendship and power. Shadow and Bone is a rare piece of work. It's one of those books that you can read over and over and over. I recommend it to everyone, not just fantasy fans. It has everything. Action, adventure, romance and twists. Pick up a copy because you won't regret it. Join Mal, Alina, and the wretched Darkling in the adventure of a lifetime.
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Popular Highlights in this book
“I’ve been waiting for you a long time, Alina,” he said. “You and I are going to change the world.”Highlighted by 3,013 Kindle readers- It was time to let go. That day on the Shadow Fold, Mal had saved my life, and I had saved his. Maybe that was meant to be the end of us.Highlighted by 2,369 Kindle readers
- “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.”Highlighted by 1,685 Kindle readers
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I found Shadow and Bone to be a fantastic fantasy tale. Was it perfect? No, but that’s okay. The story hooked me from the beginning and drew me right into the world the author had created. There were definitely a few “ugh” moments where characters made ridiculous decisions that you absolutely knew were bad but you were helpless to do anything about. But none of them felt particularly out of character. You could imagine one of these young adults legitimately making any number of bad choices that lead to death and destruction. I’d also heard some criticism about the use of the Russian elements in the book, and how they weren’t implemented properly. Is that true? Maybe. But do I know enough about Russian history or language for it to make a difference? No. Basically I enjoyed this book for what it was, an interesting fantasy tale.
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