The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?
This book…was freaking amazing. I’d heard all the splendid
reviews on it and decided to try it for myself and I ended up loving it and I
regret not buying the second book when I had the chance (next bookstore trip it
will be mine!) I have to admit one thing made this book not 100% for me though
and that’s how fast it went. I personally thought there could’ve been more
world building and I wanted to get to know Mal more, but other than that,
Shadow and Bone was excellent.
Alina Starkov, the protagonist, I found a bit whiny in the
beginning, but she grew on me as the book progressed and I enjoyed reading
about her becoming stronger and forming new bonds with others. Speaking of
bonds, like I said before I really wish us as readers could’ve gotten to know Mal,
Alina’s best friend, a little better. He seemed to only be in the first and
last parts of the book, but I’m glad the author put in little flash back scenes
so we could have a look into their lives before joining the military. I really
hope to see their relationship progress in the next book.
The Grisha…I loved reading about them and I wish there
would’ve been more about the back story and how the Grisha came to be! The
author made their powers realistic because she described them as being not
magical, but rather scientific. There were tons of twists and turns with the
characters, especially the Darkling, and I can’t wait to see what unfolds in
the second book.
4.5 Stars!
Source: Bought
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YES. This is definitely one of my all time favorite books, EVER. Siege and Storm was amazing too, and I think that might satisfy you on the world building. Great review!
ReplyDeleteAlise @ Readers In Wonderland
I really loved the relationships between Alina and Mal, and Alina and the Darkling. They were full of such tension and mystery and it was very enjoyable.
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