If this isn’t the most gorgeous cover you’ve ever seen, what have you been looking at?
Title: Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Publication Date: 6/2017
Dates Read: 1/2/19—1/28/19
Synopsis:
Alina Starkov is an orphan and mapmaker for the King’s army. She has .5 friends and nothing special about her… until she enters the Fold. Crossing the Unsea is a promise of death, but she goes where they tell her to. When a dangerous creature threatens to take her only friend, her only love, Alina unleashes a power she didn’t know she had. Swept off to the Little Palace and into the powerful Darkling’s arms, Alina learns what it means to be a Grisha, to be special. But what hides behind the pretty exterior? And what does fate have planned for the only Sun Summoner in existence?
Thoughts:
Ughh. Why did I put this off for so long? I knew I would love it but WOW! Okay, let’s start with the flaws, if I can’t see them through my intense love for Leigh Bardugo.
Negatives. This is a very slow paced book. The action scenes are fairly short and pack a punch (pun intended) but they sometimes weren’t enough. However, I was too entranced by the writing and character development to mind the slow pacing.
Alina also got a bit…dull at times. She had this big moral conflict, I get that, but her debating back and forth and purposely disregarding obvious warning signs from a certain character made me so angry. Also, (this isn’t a spoiler) I don’t get the big deal about Mal? I don’t really like him but there’s not a huge reason to hate him (yet) either so…I don’t know.
Positives. All of it. Just kidding. Kind of kidding. *coughs* Almost all of it. I’m in love with Bardugo’s writing. I’m a sucker for good character development and going from orphan to Grisha brought so much that my heart almost couldn’t take it. The Darkling is such an interesting character and I could go on about Bardugo’s brilliancy in a ten page essay but instead I’ll just sit here with my heart so full of admiration. The settings were very well written and I can’t wait to see the Netflix show!
I was pretty satisfied with the ending and would be totally fine not continuing the series if I didn’t love Leigh Bardugo so much and am fully anticipating meeting Nikolai!!!
Rating: 4.7/5 stars
Links to buy the book:
(Pretty cover) Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Amazon
If You Liked This Then You’ll Like:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
myhoneyreads 
Bardugo definitely excels in her writing style and characterization. I prefer the Six of Crows duology over the Grisha trilogy but I can’t deny she is a darn fine writer.
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So far I prefer Six of Crows too but yes, she’s a phenomenal writer 💕
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i’m glad you liked it! although i wasn’t the hugest fan of this trilogy, leigh bardugo’s writing and the world (and nikolai) really made it worth reading for me! annnnnnnnnnnd you get to read king of scars after this which was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC
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Great review!
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Thanks 💛
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Lovely review! I personally was a bit underwhelmed by the shadow and none trilogy, but in all fairness, it’s quite difficult NOT to be disappointed when I’m comparing it to Six of Crows. Haha. 🙂
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Yeah, that’s a common criticism I see. I didn’t realize while reading but I had separated the two in my mind. She definitely improved with the Six of Crows duology though 😌
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I remember I LOVED Shadow and Bone when I read it, and I want to reread it soon! The world is so amazingly built up (I loved the Russian influences) and Leigh’s writing is just so gorgeous. Loved your review!
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Thank you! I really enjoyed the Russian influences too!
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