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Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)

Leigh Bardugo

Start date: April 1, 2019

Finish date: April 30, 2019

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What Members Thought

Apr 17, 2016 Susan rated it it was amazing

This is the second time I read this and I loved it just as much as the first time I read it.

This was the first fantasy book I had ever read (outside of Harry Potter) I used to think if it wasn't real then I wanted nothing to do with reading it. I read this book about 5 years ago and I discovered my love of fantasy. I flew through this entire series and couldn't believe how closed minded I was regarding fantasy books.
(view spoiler) ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

May 24, 2013 Trisha rated it it was amazing

wow, a book that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time - I was even double triple guessing EVERYONE and I still didn't except the plot's twist and turns.

Even the annoyance of the foreign words every other word pale in comparison to such an amazing story and great characters. It really is a world that comes alive, even if you don't understand all of the languages, heirarchy and colors schemes.

I can not wait for the next book! ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2014 Delitealex rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, something-new-challenge-2015, tt4

I loved this book. Alina was so awesome. Seeing her having to figure out how to deal with her new situation and figure out what to do while at Court. Also loved the Darkling and wondering what he was up to. I definitely can't wait to see what happens next. ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2014 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, reread, own-physical-read, own-ebook-read, reviewed, cover-love, romance, young-adult

01/22/2019: Read for the second time. (Did not review the first time.)

This review MAY contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

This book will cut into you like the sharpest blade and then pour a little bit of its magic into you. This is my second time reading this book. I realize that I never wrote a review for this book the first time that I read it. This strikes me as strange since this has been one of my all-time favorite book series. Like, ever. If rereading this book has told me anything, it 01/22/2019: Read for the second time. (Did not review the first time.)

This review MAY contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

This book will cut into you like the sharpest blade and then pour a little bit of its magic into you. This is my second time reading this book. I realize that I never wrote a review for this book the first time that I read it. This strikes me as strange since this has been one of my all-time favorite book series. Like, ever. If rereading this book has told me anything, it is that my love for this book has definitely not diminished since reading it three years ago.

I have been so overcome with nostalgia while reading this. All the feels are coming back to me in waves.

The first thing that a person may notice when beginning this book is the rich world building. Bardugo has drawn inspiration for her fantasy world from Russian elements and it leaves this world so utterly breathtaking. It is easy to trip over some of the Russian inspired words in this in the beginning, but it gets easier as the story progresses. It is hard to describe the complexity and originality of this world. It leaves the reader so immersed in the story, so full of wonderment. Bardugo paints a clear picture of the extravagance in this world, the things that are less than extravagant, and everything in between. It is easy to live through the main character's eyes.

These characters evoke such emotion in me that there are hardly words to describe them, but let me try. First of all, I have to put it out there that The Darkling is my all-time favorite villain. The complexity of his character is staggering. There is so much gray area surrounding him that the reader doesn't truly know how to feel about him. I am a sucker for morally gray villains. Alina is the main protagonist in the story. She is a wonderful character. It is truly easy to slip into her shoes and feel as she does. She is easy to like and easier to root for. At first, she comes off as weak, but there is a strength inside of her that shines through. The side characters in this book are also written extremely well. We get to know the side characters as the story progresses, and it is not hard to see how much depth they add to the story.

The romance in this book is a mix of a friends-to-lovers trope combined with a love triangle. As far as love triangles go, this one does not disappoint. The build-up of the relationships, between Mal and Alina and Alina and The Darkling, are powerful. They mean something, so the love triangle aspect really works well. It's believable. And the friend to lovers trope is beautiful since Mal and Alina have been best friends since childhood. Alina has been pining after Mal, but he never noticed her in that way before. Then she is whisked away to become a Grisha and he is left to come to terms with her absence. It is hard for him since she has always been at his side. The entire romantic aspects of the book are written beautifully. And the amazing this is that they are written so extremely well that the reader doesn't know whether to root for Mal or The Darkling. I personally root for both!

The plot of this story is utterly clever and so full of originality. The crafting of this story is nothing short of genius, and when you get to the last book it is apparent even more so. The foreshadowing is intricately placed and then things show up later to blow your mind. I am so impressed with Bardugo's storytelling. She is a master of telling stories that will grip you and become a part of you.

I recommend this series to everyone! Especially if you are a fantasy fan. This is such a unique world with a powerful plot and complex characters. The story will become all that you think about for weeks. But the good news is that there is an entire Grishaverse to explore. Leigh Bardugo will not leave you hanging.

More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Nov 21, 2011 Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I read this book in two days that is how much I loved it. It was a good pace to me, it wasn't to fast or slow. I liked the story line and the characters. They all worked good together and fit with the story line. Alina was a great heroin and ended being a awesome kick ass heroin. As for Mal I hated him in the beginning but in the end he redeemed himself. I don't know what to think of The Darkling. I still have mixed feels about him. A part of me wants him to be good but the other parts loves him ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2012 Tammie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: high-fantasy, fantasy, favorites, series-completed, favorite-covers, young-adult, owned-hard-cover

I was completely swept away by this book and enjoyed it so much I stayed up all night reading it. I found the world to be a bit different from most of the YA fantasy I've read.

The Darkling is a very mesmerizing character, and I really wanted to like him as badly as Alina did.

I also really love the cover. It’s a beautiful book.
...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2018 Colleen Scidmore rated it really liked it

Shelves: currently-on-google-drive, dark, part-of-a-series, drama, overcoming-obstacles, fantasy, young-adult, not-a-happy-ending-kind-of-book, unrequited-love, magic

This book was sooo good! I liked it almost as much as An Ember in the Ashes. Which is saying a lot...I Love that book.

Shadow and Bone has all the right elements for me. Adventure, Magic, Strong Friendships, Drama and somewhat of a slight bit of Romance with some added PG sexual tension.

I love Alina she is pretty fierce for a girl. She is loyal to her friends especially Mal. And she goes through some kick ass torture(training) in order to help her country. I really like Mal also. He irked me in t ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 21, 2018 Keri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, 2018-12-from-my-shelves, series-completed-all

4.5 Stars. I loved this book and whenever I wasn’t reading it I couldn’t wait for my next chance to pick it back up. I was hooked right away and loved the idea of this Grisha world and all the character building along with the many twists and turns the story took. I love Alina, love Mal, and love how complex the Darkling is. I went in not knowing really anything about the plot just that it was the first in a hugely popular fantasy world by the hugely popular Leigh Bardugo. It did not disappoint. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 10, 2012 Stacey rated it liked it

Shelves: library, own

I was hovering between 2 and 3 stars for this one, and then realized I really liked the Darkling, so figured I would bump it to 3 just for his character. I'm not sure why I didn't like this better, but I realized about 2/3 of the way through that even though I was moving quickly through the chapters, nothing was really happening. The heroine is kind of blah, and her best friend/hero was not around for half of the book, and I was actually kind of rooting for the bad guy to win. The last third was ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2020 Margaret rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, action, magic, 2020

OMG Leigh Bardugo, come ON !!!
She is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

I liked the little bit of backstory, then boon! right into the action ! I love Alina and Mal, so glad I got into this before the Netflix series starts.
Alina has a mundane job in the Army, trying to cross the Unsea without getting eaten by Volcra ( ick) She discovers she has a special talent, and needs to be taken away to learn how to use it, to help get rid of the Unsea. Her best friend from childhood, Mal, is in t ...more

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