REVIEW| Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1)
Leigh Bardugo

⭐⭐⭐

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Synopsis:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Review:

My edition is the one that was published right back in 2012, when Idigo and Leigh changed the title for "The Gathering Dark" into what we know as "Shadow and Bone". And honestly my most favourite edition based on the soft matte grey cover. Now, I sort of regret it because it doesn't match up with the rest of the trilogy. But, that's me just being shallow.

I felt that this book lacked plot originality and was very formulaic. When something was brought up in the plot, I ended up guessing exactly what was going to happen at the end goal of the plot vice. And I just ended up loosing some enjoyment from that, it wasn't exciting to read because I knew what was going to happen. There was still an element of these books being like a guilty pleasure read and this was because of Leigh's characters. I knew I shouldn't have fallen in love with The Darkling but come on! Who hasn't? He was just such an intriguing character to read about. That dark and brooding past that just oooooooooozes power? I know that Alina will grow into a strong and prominent protagonist for this trilogy. If there is one thing Leigh can right is characters that leap of the page and have me interested in their story, even though the story itself was average and typical YA.


I'd recommend for those who are interested in reading fantasy YA and don't want to throw themselves into the deep end with something like Throne of Glass or Lord of the Rings. Leigh Bardugo's writing is easily accessible to readers who maybe aren't used to the poetic prose that often comes with the genre, mixing in mild Russian fairy tale in writing suited to a larger contemporary audience.

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