Shadow and Bone

It was not awful and also not good enough. The ending was pretty interesting to follow, but I have some issues with it. And throughout the whole book I was kinda disappointed in Russian elements in the story (I'm Russian, so I know what I'm talking about).

I have a lot to say about Shadow and Bone. I might have too much to say about it. There is nothing more wonderful than a book you can't get out of your head. Leigh Bardugo's stories consistently do this to me, and it's interesting that Shadow and Bone does it when it does not have the same kind of scope as Six of Crows.

I know comparing Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone might be an inappropriate thing to do. But I'm going to, because honestly the contrast between the two is fascinating to me. Shadow and Bone came first, but I'm reading it after already completing the Six of Crows duology, and one might assume the first trilogy came about when the world was less developed and Bardugo was not quite as strong as a writer. I don't think this is the case. I wouldn't even argue that Shadow and Bone is what it is because it was meant for a “younger” audience. I think it is the way it is because it was made for the only audience that was seen as relevant at the time – the same audience that devoured Twilight, The Hunger Games and Divergent, as well as their many many clones.

Stop me if you've heard this one before – a plain, mousy teenage girl is plucked from obscurity and thrown into an extravagant and new world due to something inherent in her that is unique (and she has no control over) while attracting the attention of a powerful immortal that also happens to look like a teenage boy. I am speculating, of course, but I think this was very much intentional. I think Bardugo had a world and realized the best way to get it in front of other people's eyes was to use it to tell a story that had proven effective in the past. But because Bardugo is the phenomenal writer she is, it's astronomically better.

Six of Crows in general is much more immersive. I think I actually have a better understanding of the Grisha and the magical system from Six of Crows than I do from this book (I mean, what is the Darkling's ability even called?). There's also a lot about this story that is strikingly anachronistic. In Six of Crows, while the speech and thoughts of the characters are relatable and accessible, Kaz, Jesper and Inej all very clearly belong to their neo-Victorian magical version of Amsterdam. If you took Kaz and dropped him in our modern world the son of bitch would probably adapt as quickly as a chameleon, but he would have to adapt. Alina would not. Her snarky sense of humor, while distinctly her own, is also distinctly modern, as is much of the dialogue and interactions in Shadow and Bone. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of atmosphere. I was feeling the tsar punk, and I cannot believe no one thought to do this before. But, take the Darkling, for example. Going in I expected a dark, mysterious, perhaps slightly inhuman overlord. And there's a glimmer of that when he's first introduced. But after that he's just one of the guys. Casual, occasionally ruffled, not even that mean. Of course, there's a reason for his easy engaging demeanor in terms of story, but stylistically I think it was another means pulling the reader closer.

The intention of this story is to tell a grand Cinderella epic that of course falls apart by story's end. And to be honest, I was broken-hearted for Alina in a way that I haven't been for other heroines in her place. She's an orphan that discovers that she has a power that can save the world. She should get to wear pretty dresses, and have prettier women be jealous of her, and fall in love with the dark and powerful prince. When the lie is revealed, I was not entirely surprised but I was sad for her. I think that's why I wasn't bothered by the fact that Alina has very little agency and doesn't make a single decision for herself until the last act. Or that there was so much fixation on the beauty and wealth of the Grisha girls and the catty way they treated Alina. The intention was to tell a grandiose, compelling version of boiler plate “paranormal romance” with significant mature undertones hiding just barely beneath the surface.

Shadow and Bone is achingly easy to read. As stated, not a whole lot happens during the first three quarters of the book, and yet they vanish before you even realize it. Alina doesn't have a central desire, there isn't much of a conflict (aside from her own initial inadequacy), and the world is very minimally explained. There's so much about this that just shouldn't work, and yet it does. The prose is swift, Alina is funny, the glamour of the Grisha world is tantalizing, and the Darkling is just the right amounts of scary and sexy (ok, he could have been a little scarier, in my opinion). And then the shoe drops, and it's in that last act that I found myself saying, “Ah, there you are, Alina.” Hiding beneath the tropes was in fact a character with a soul, a love interest and best friend who is genuine and real, and a villain whose desire for her is born from his deep loneliness.

I want to swim in this world, I want to roll in every word. Logically, I know there are pieces missing from this story, but none of it is sloppy. Everything that Bardugo accomplishes here is intentional, and that's fucking amazing. Now that the initial YA framework that got people in the door is cast aside (ok, I imagine the love triangle thing might stick around for a bit), I am so excited to see how she expands this story in the next two books.

Loved it! Highly recommend, there wasn't a dull or boring moment.

This book was the kind of book I would have adored when I was in Middle school and high school. I would have read this whole series overnight.

Alas I'm a bit older now and my views have changed. I also had the great privilege to read Six of Crows first. Which is arguably written for an older audience. Shadow and Bone is obviously written for a younger crowd, it still covers heavy topics and covers them well. But the “very special girl” and love triangle tropes are written with a certain audience in mind and because of that I found some parts extremely predictable and blah. I felt the same way about the Shatter Me series. It's something a younger me would have loved this and I still do like it but just not as much as I would have.

“I'd been lonely my whole life, but I'd never been truly alone before, and it wasn't nearly as scary as I'd imagined.”

I started the Grishaverse with the Six of Crows duology. So going into this book I already knew about the Second army, the types of Grisha, and the ending of this trilogy as it was talked about in Six of Crows. My main interest in picking up this book finally arose when the next book in the Grishaverse “King of Scars” was announced.
Okay, now this book wasn't anything special. It wasn't dull either but I couldn't help but compare it to Six of Crows every step of the way. Alina is a bit useless in the beginning of the book, falling left and right. Somewhere in the middle when she is travelling on her own is when I started taking a liking to her, but then her friend showed up and I wanted her to get some character development on her own, which she did get I guess, just a tiny bit, after crying through many pages.There were two instances where I liked Alina. One, when she's travelling alone and talks about being lonely her own life but says this: "I'd been lonely my whole life, but I'd never been truly alone before, and it wasn't nearly as scary as I'd imagined."At this point I remember smiling to myself and going thank god! I thought she was going to whine about how lonely and desperate she was for human contact.Two, when she uses ‘The Cut' in the Shadow Fold. I anticipated that but I didn't think she'd leave all those people in the Fold and run away. Thank the Lord she did that.From the rest of the cast, I liked Genya a lot. I really liked how in the beginning Genya warned Alina about the Darkling by saying something along the lines of she should be careful of men trying to control her (gotta find the exact line in the book again).Darkling is freaking 120 years old. Wow, twilight flashbacks. He was definitely out the window as a love interest the minute he announced his age. Also, what the hell kind of a plan is that? Mal is walking around with a death flag on him so I'm not gonna go get attached to characters who're gonna be so deeeaaad. Six of Crows flashbacks :(Otherwise, this book was a fast read for me as I didn't get confused by all the Grisha terminology. Now, for my usual list of things I really liked in this book,• The Second Army • The kefta the Grisha wore• Alina and Darkling's powers• The Cut• The Shadow Fold• Genya :)• The map in the beginning of the book• The book cover with the stag on it :D (The blue and gold color scheme is marvelous to look at)

So. I give this a strong 3/5. I'm rounding up because I do know Bardugo gets better, but I am so glad I read Six of Crows first. Because this book had one of my most hated YA tropes (girl goes on and on about how ugly she is but somehow gets the attention of the two most attractive boys in the series). Not to mention, Alina doesn't really do anything. The plot just kind of happens to her. Even at the end, it's just like “well, I guess we have to go after this MacGuffin” just ‘cuz.

Bardugo definitely comes in more on her own in SoC at least character-wise. And I will continue with this series because I want to know more about this world. But I don't care about Alina. She's not incredibly likable or sympathetic.

Changed to 4

I don't know what how I feel about this book. I've read it before and I loved it, but now I don't. It was good, I can't deny that, but it felt all really rushed and I didn't really like the characters. I do want to try to read the second book but I might fail on doing that and just return the book to the bookstore.

3.5 stars

I read and heard so much about the Grisha trilogy that I decided I had to read these books. Luckily, Shadow and Bone ebook was on sale last week and I didn't miss the opportunity; finally, finished it today in a single sitting. I just couldn't put it down. The plot was great, the Grisha powers were quite novel and the characters were amazing.

Alina and Mal have grown up together in an orphanage. She has always secretly been in love with him but he hasn't realized it yet. When they were tested for magical powers in their childhood, they didn't show any affiliation; so Mal has become a tracker and Alina is a cartographer for the military. Their life takes a turn when they are ordered to cross the Shadow Fold – the darkness which caused a rift separating the kingdom of Ravka into two; which houses the monsters voltra who show no mercy on anyone trying to cross the darkness. When the skiff they are traveling in is attacked by the voltra, Alina unleashes her unknown power and saves everyone from imminent death. This is where Alina and Mal get separated because she is sent off to the Little Palace, home and training ground of the Grisha. When the Darkling, head of the Grisha, enlightens her that she is the only Sun Summoner in the kingdom and they could together destroy the Shadow Fold, bringing peace to the kingdom – she finally lets herself believe that she has found her destiny. But is everything as it appears? Is she in danger from just the kingdom's enemies or from within the kingdom itself? Who are her true friends? Will she succeed in fulfilling her destiny?

There is not a whole lot of world building in the book but I really enjoyed reading about the different types of Grisha. Alina starts off as a frail, sickly girl who doesn't believe she has any powers or special qualities but finally embraces the truth and finds her true happiness that she had been suppressing her whole life. There is a scene in the book when she, for the first time, accepts herself for who she is and it is probably one of the most powerful scenes of a female character I have read in recent times, especially in YA. Her character growth is fantastic and I can't wait to see what she does next. The Darkling is amazing – that's all I can say. I kept waiting for more scenes of him, with Alina and I would be ecstatic if there was a book with just the two of them. I didn't really enjoy Mal's character, but he is extremely loyal to Alina and that's enough for me to root for him. I also liked the side characters, especially Genya and Baghra – we can never really tell where their loyalties lie and their motivations remain a little ambiguous. And then ending is just WOW – total badass. I just can't wait to pick up Siege and Storm and drown myself in the lives of Alina and the Darkling and everyone else.

I think I just sat and read this for something like seven hours straight. I think that alone can stand as my review, right?

I love this! It is a good story without too much extra twists just because. Alina is struggling to see who she really is and that is used against her by a villian. She doesn't get an ultimate victory, but she survives for now. I like the straightforward battle. It isn't there just to tug at our heart strings. It is necessary to get to step two in order to save Ravka. There is one covenient coincidence, but it is done well and therefore didn't bother me in the slightest.
The legends and magic are doing battle with governments and technonlogy. One side of the magic is doing battle for the good of the world and one isn't. That is a pretty classic set up. The Eastern touches bring an oddness that is welcome to introduce us to this world.
I can't wait to see what is next.

first of all, I read this a few weeks ago and could SWEAR I left a review of it already but there's no sign of it so...that might be out in the void somewhere, IDK.

Anyway, I read and loved Six of Crows, and I'd heard that it was set in the same ~world~ as the Grisha trilogy but I didn't need to read the Grisha trilogy to get SOC, so I didn't, just because people were raving about Six of Crows, and the general plot of it seemed more relevant to my interests than this trilogy.

Months later, I decided to check this trilogy out, since I did love Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom so much! This was...good, but definitely less in my personal wheelhouse than SOC. There's a lot more worldbuilding and Grisha abilities here, so if that's your personal jam I'd definitely recommend this. I prefer the “ragtag found family heist crew” situation to the “dramatically fraught love triangle” situation here but if you're looking for some beautiful angst, ooh there's plenty of that. (If you're looking for the queer love present in SOC, not so much.)

Anyway, it's a great first fantasy novel that just doesn't happen to cater as much to my personal tastes as Six of Crows, YMMV.

《The problem with wanting, is that it makes us weak.》

Why did I wait so long to read thisssss? WHYYYYYYY? 😍
I was almost skeptical because I think 95% of the most hyped books are garbage not worth the time to read them, but this. THIS. Oh God.
The Witch of Duva sounded like a good premise and it was totally right!! 💜

I read a book before this one that irked me and then this book had a similar twist and even though I thought this was better I just couldn't like it as much as I think I might have if I read it at a different time. 3 1/2 stars.

More of a 3.5.
Had some issues with our main characters and the completely unnecessary girl drama but overall quite good.

I have two things to say. First, holy shit. This book was more than I could've asked for. To sum this book up in three words: magnificent, spectacular, and enticing. While some may disagree, I believe this book was beautifully written. Second, the Darkling is a punk ass bitch. It's true. I was so on-board with shipping Alina and the Darkling but no. He sucks bootyhole. Either way, this book was fucking amazing. Believe it or not, I'm sat here beside my mom begging for her to buy me the next book.

YA Fantasy is not exactly a genre that is among my favourites. However, this was a case of judging the book by its cover. The gray and red colour palette, the palace that reminded me of the Kremlin, and the intriguing title made me think that this was actually a Historican Fiction novel about Russia. When I read the blurb, my enthusiasm was somehow diminished. ‘‘Another [b:The Night Circus 9361589 The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618s/9361589.jpg 14245059] wannabe?'' , I thought. So, I am glad I didn't give in to my prejudices, because this was a wonderful reading experience.This is the first installment in The Grisha trilogy, therefore I will not describe the plot, the blurb does its job much better than I would. What I want to stress is the beauty of the language Bardugo uses to introduce us to the adventures of Alina. There is nothing in Leigh Bardugo's writing that made me think this was a YA novel, the dialogue was flowing and realistic. I appreciated the fact that the narration was not wasted in long paragraphs describing Alina and Mal's past, but instead, we get short glimpses of their previous lives through, mainly, Alina's thoughts. This technique helped in making the pages fly faster.There are many hints of Russian myths and customs, and this gives a sense of class and history in Shadow and Bone, especially for a lover of Russian Literature and lore like myself. The three main characters are well-drawn and interesting, each one in their own merit. Alina is an earthly, realistic character, her own hesitations and confusement vividly depicted. After all, who wouldn't have hesitations in front of the face of love? Mal is a character we don't get to know too well yet, so I reserve judgement until we delve deeper into his motives, but for now, I can say I didn't miss him at all when he was absent from the pages. The Darkling...well...excuse me while I shamelessly swoon right here, but he is my favourite character. Dark and mysterious, and full of secrets and perhaps, slightly evil and so on...Like I said in the YA group discussion, I keep picturing Richard Madden as the Darkling, and it makes the character all the more appealing to me. (I am a fangirl, don't judge me :) )So, a great start and on to the second installment!

WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK!!! I'm so glad I read it and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
–Review to come later–

Totally forgot I didn't review this book! I need to keep better tabs... anyhow, I thought this was the best book out of the series– even though my favorite character wasn't in it haha.

A really good series that I think I will read again in a few years, if time permits ^_^

my initial instinct before read this book was, i was gonna regret it, and it's true. this book is the first book from the trilogy the grisha. i hate myself for loving this book so much and so dissappointed because the publisher didn't continue to publish the next 2 books. i hate cliffhanger ahhhhhh

La verdad yo le daría un 3.5. Y diría que me siento algo...decepcionada.
Pronto una reseña/opinión.

HOURS LATER

Tengo mucho que decir de este libro. Desde hace un año o más que estaba esperando a que lo leyera, la verdad veía mucho de él en cada blog o página a la que iba, y también buenas reseñas. Creo que, una que hizo lo leyera ahora fue la del Geek Furioso de la Literatura, que si bien no dio una opinión realmente buena, tampoco la mandó expresamente a la mierda y tuvo razón, tiene razón con este libro. Aunque, hay ciertas cosas que no concuerdo con él. Pero, bueno, ¿de qué va exactamente Sombra y Hueso?

El mundo en el que estamos principalmente está ambientado en la antigua Rusia, y se llama Ravka. Ravka está dividida por una gran franja de oscuridad al que denominaron El Abismo, que fue creada hace muchos años por el Hereje Oscuro, y separa a Ravka del océano. Allí habitan lo que llaman “Volcras”, criaturas espeluzantes que acaban con la vida de cualquiera que intente cruzar el Abismo hacia Ravka Occidental. Durante unos largos años, Ravka también ha sido víctima de innumerables ataques de tierras fronterizas, como Fjerda (al norte) y Shu Man (al sur). Eso ha causado guerras, hambre, muertes, y todo lo típico en este tipo de situaciones.
Nuestra protagonista es Alina Starkov, una huérfana que es aprendiz a cartógrafa en el ejército. En el mismo está su mejor amigo Malyen Oretsev quien es uno de los mejores rastreros de la cuadrilla (y aparentemente de toda Ravka). Cuando su unidad se prepara para cruzar el Abismo, predeciblemente son atacados por los volcras. Y en el momento en que Alina está por morir junto a Mal, de pronto libera un increíble poder solar, iluminando el Abismo y ahuyentando a las criaturas. Es ahí donde luego es llevada ante el Darkling, quien lidera los ejércitos (y toda Ravka en general, porque al rey no le interesa mucho encargarse de ello que digamos) y comprueba los hechos al hacerle una prueba y revelar que Alina es la Invocadora del Sol, una Grisha.
Los Grisha son como decir los magos. Equivalen a la Pequeña Ciencia y conforman el Segundo Ejercito del rey. Están divididos en tres categorías: Corporalki (La Orden de los vivos y Muertos, que son los Cardios y Sanadores. Debe resultar obvio que son aquellos que protegen la salud, y/o se encargan de toda parte física.); Etherealki (La Orden de los Invocadores, conformados por los Impulsores, Inferno y Tidemakers. Estos dominan más que todos los elementos, pero no crean, sino que manipulan. Los Inferno se encargan de los gases combustibles, pero no crean fuego; los Impulsores controlan el aire y sí pueden crean tormentas; los Tidemakers dominan más que nada el agua. Debo destacar que tanto Alina como el Darkling entran en esta categoría, ya que mientras que Alina invoca la luz, el Darkling invoca la oscuridad) y los Materialnik (La Orden de los Fabricadores, y en ella están los Durests quienes se encargan del acero Grisha, los textiles –fabrican la ropa especial de los Grisha–, los vidrios, la parte material. Los Alquimios, como deben imaginar, ya se van por la parte química como crear pociones, entre otros). Y cada categoría tiene un color para distinguirlos. Si sus keftas (una especie de abrigo, ruso.) son azules, debes saber que son los Etherealki; si son rojos, se trata de los Corporalki, pero si es morado entonces estás ante un Materialnik. También está el negro, pero ese es solo exclusivo para el Darkling y cualquiera que tenga que ver con él (no cualquiera puede usarlo, y si lo usa, es algo de lo que sentirse orgulloso). Y el blanco, que lo usan los sirvientes en el palacio real.

Ahora, Alina es llevada al palacio para conocer al rey y la reina y obtener su entrenamiento Grisha, todo bajo la protección del Darkling. Cabe destacar que en ese momento, Alina no es capaz de invocar su poder si no es con ayuda del Darkling quien es un Amplificador, o sea, puede aumentar con su toque el poder de cada Grisha. Se menciona que hay varios Grisha que poseen un amuleto amplificador, como garras de oso, dientes de alguna bestia, etc. Y para que un Grisha pueda tener uno, debe él mismo acabar con esa bestia para poder hacer suyo el amplificador, como reclamándolo.

Recordé la confianza que me había inundado al simple toque del Darkling, y esa extrañamente familiar sensación de una llamada resonando a través de mí, una llamada que exigía respuesta. Había sido aterrador, pero estimulados también. En ese momento, todas mis dudas y miedos habían sido reemplazados por una especie de seguridad absoluta.

las apariencias engañan

MUY

alguien levanta la mano. Saco pistola y le disparo

—Está bien —dije finalmente—. Pero apurate.
Él se rió de nuevo, y sentí un rubor de satisfacción deslizarse hasta mis mejillas. Luego su expresión se volvió seria. —Te he estado esperando un largo tiempo, Alina —dijo—, tú y yo vamos a cambiar el mundo.

Se dejó caer hacia atrás en su silla. —Bien —dijo con un cansado encogimiento de hombros—. Hazme tu villano.

-

NO SENTÍ NADA

—¡Asesino! —grité—. ¡Monstruo!
—Todas esas cosas.
—Te odio —escupí.
Él se encogió de hombros. —Vas a cansarte muy pronto del odio. Te cansaras de todo. —Luego sonrió, y detrás de sus ojos vi el mismo sombrío e inmenso vacío que había visto en los ojos de la anciana Baghra—. Vas a llevar ese collar por el resto de tu muy, muy larga vida, Alina. Lucha contra mí todo lo que puedas. Te darás cuenta de que tengo mucha más experiencia con la eternidad.

Um... So I basically just finished that book in one sitting.



I have no idea what took me so long to get around to reading the trilogy. I always hear such amazing things about it. I was in love with the world for the first half of this book, then in the second half I was on the edge of my seat, frantically reading to find out what was going to happen next.

I will definitely be reading the rest of this trilogy, hopefully sooner rather than later. I would love to finish this trilogy so I can read Six of Crows before Crooked Kingdom comes out in September.

I may or may not write a full review once I have had real time to digest this book and everything that happened. But do know I absolutely loved it and it is definitely a new favorite!

Written insanely well. I can't wait to read the second and third! It was so amazing and everything happened at just the right moment! I definitely recommend this book to everyone!!

This book was so amazing. The world and characters are so unique and diverse. I really loved Leigh's writing style and the dialogue. I really love the Darkling so much, he is just so different and mysteroius.

3.5
Review soon