Shadow and Bone

I liked the magic system, Genya and the Darkling. Alina was insufferable and Mal was almost worse.

This book kept coming in for me at the library. I don't remember ordering it, but it would appear every once in awhile and I would send it back. When it came in again on Thursday, I was like, okay- this book wants me to read it.

It's not a bad book. In fact, it reminded me very much of the “study” books by Maria Synder, which I read years ago and enjoyed. The world building is excellent. I really enjoyed the world of the Grisha and all of its layers. Too bad the whole point of this book is to destroy it.

It's not a great book. I'm not sure why I was surprised to find, in this awesome setting, yet another special snowflake caught in a love triangle. Do they not publish YA books unless they have these elements? But, come on. Alina on her own is awesome. I loved when she focused on herself and her talent and kicked ass. Alina with Mal-nope, didn't buy it. That felt angry brother/sister to me. Mal comes off like an asshat, not even as a caring sibling. Alina with the Darkling went “ew” quick.

This book, like many, many, many others did not need the romance at all. Aline and Genya could have run away together-two best friends, in the wind!

Nope.

I'm probably not going to continue with the series, but maybe someday if there is a prequel series about the founding of the Grisha, I may dip my toe back in.

I really liked most of this book–enough to give it 4stars, but I'm not sure I'll read the rest of the series. The end of this book just wasn't satisfying to me, for some reason. Since I gave it 4stars, that means it's a re-read for me at some point, so maybe another read will make it all come together.

I'm not sure it's particularly better than a bunch of the YA competing in the space right now, as far as writing or ingenuity, but I found the slavic/Russian slant an interesting complication, with so much of the genre leaning toward Anglo fantasy. The main character clearly has some body dysmorphia but otherwise strong and interesting, and the plot didn't really do what I expected to, which I always appreciate. Will probably take a stab at the next one.

I've said before that I don't like those fantasy books that drag a peasant girl (and it's always a girl, never a boy) to the royal court. I also don't like stories that have a main character with this mysterious power that they never knew they had. I also don't like fantasy books told in the first person perspective.

Well, this book has all three. Which is why I borrowed it from my library (something I never do) instead of just buying it - because I really didn't think I'd like it.

...

I did.

Yeah, it has things I don't like in my stories, but it has awesome people and - surprisingly enough - a main character whose head I genuinely like being in.

Alina is pretty much what I want the character to be when they're called ‘spirited and spunky'. Sadly, those words are usually synonymous with ‘shrew and bitchy'. Alina is stubborn, she often speaks before thinking and I love her for it. She's a very determined girl and even though she has moments of weakness, I truly like her.

The Darkling is...not what I expected. He's not what I expected before reading the book and certainly not what I expected after meeting him. I like him though - but then again, I always like guys like him. (You know, the guys that might be a little evil. Seriously though, I love the fact that he's a viable love interest and ... well, the fact that I still am not sure if he's a good guy wearing villain clothes - or a bad guy wearing hero clothes.)

Then there's Genya, Alina's closest friend at the palace. Honestly, I was so happy to see that she made a girl friend. Lately it seems like all I've been reading are books with girls that have no close girl friends - and sometimes, don't even like other women. (The Storyspinner and The Sin Eater's Daughter, I'm looking at you.) I adore Genya. She's pretty and she's confident even while she's a little lost and she's the kind of best friend I'd love to have.

I liked most of the other characters - especially, for some reason, Fedyor but also Baghra and Botkin. Really, the only person I didn't like was Mal. He annoyed me and I thought he was a bit of a ... worthless slug. Yeah, that's a good descriptor for him. (Sorry, but I was never able to shake my first impression of him and I got the feeling that he didn't want to give his best friend the time of day until she got pretty.)

I will say, there were several stupid decisions made, mostly Alina's, that made things much more difficult than they needed to be. Honestly, I'm not sure if that makes me like the book more or less.

I do rather like the world. It's different than most usual fantasy worlds, but no so different that it's unbelievable. It's based on Russia and I do rather like seeing a different fantasy setting.

So, even though I like this book enough to be interested in reading the rest, I did a little research on something that I don't think I could get over and it turns out that my worst fears were confirmed. This is something that is kind of a deal breaker for me, so I probably won't read any more of this series.

(Originally posted on my blog: http://pagesofstarlight.blogspot.com/)

I loved this book I couldn't put it down and now I've been sucked into the next one. At least I started reading them when there are 3 books in the series out.

4.5 stars
It's been a while since I read a fantasy book (I think, actually I can't remember), and it was quite enjoyable to delve into a world of magic and creatures again. I loved reading about the Grisha and their powers. My favourite character in this book is Genya, I really like her and her loyalty. Can't wait to read the next book to see where the story takes me, because this book ended - not on a cliffhanger - very... openly? A new journey has begun within the last ten pages and I'm very much onboard with it.

So good. I'm in love with this series. But name of main character should have been Alina StarkovA. It is just Russian. Starkov is for man.

The moment our lips met, I knew with pure and piercing certainty that I would have waited for him forever.

This book had a lot of potential yet it was wasted. Alina annoyed me from the beginning. I couldn't stand her obsession with her puppy love for Mal nor her “ugly duckling” syndrome. Instead of being curious about her amazing recently-discovered-power she kept moping over how plain she was and how blindingly beautiful all the Grishas were. Who cares that you look scrawny and plain? You are the Sun Summoner for God's sake! Such a waste... What is it with this ridiculous fixation with absolute beauty in YA? I can be genuinely and immensely attracted to someone who doesn't fit in the “perfect beauty” category. And, obviously, also 90% of the people on this planet can.

Moving on. To the Darkling. I don't see what's so great about him either. I admit, he's one of the reasons I finally picked this up. I kept hearing how amazing her was. But he's barely in the book. Most of the plot consisted in Alina drooling over or envying people more attractive than her and gushing over the luxuries in Little Palace. And then in complaining about how she wasn't a Grisha, how she was so useless, how she couldn't do this, she couldn't do that. Yawn. But I guess I can see why the Darkling could've been a gripping character.

Then the romance. Can I say icky? So Alina, this mass of mush, after being ignored by Mal falls head over heels with the Darkling after 2-3 conversations. So much that he has his hand up her skirt after the second kiss. And then, 2 seconds later she finds out he's evil and runs away. And who helps her get away? No one other than Mal. And she falls head over heel with him, once more, leading to the lamest love triangle I've read in a very long time. I have no patience for this for this.

The rest: little action, weak mythology and world building, underdeveloped characters. But it could'be been good, the general idea of this book was quite nice.

I'm not going to bother with the next books because I couldn't resist the temptation and I've read a spoilery review of book number there. Not even close to deserving the effort. So the love triangle ends up being a love square. What the actual f.? Alina loses her power after all that struggle to control it and use it for the good and she ends up with Mal. *Facepalm* Then the Darkling dies without even redeeming himself.

This was my second time reading this book and I liked it a lot more than i did the first time. The first time I read Shadow and Bone it was my first introduction to the Grisha verse and I was 11 years younger. I had less empathy and understanding for younger protagonists even though i was closer to their age back in 2009 then I am now. It's strange how maturing does that. When I first read this book I didn't care for Alina or Mal and their relationship and I thought the Darkling was a creepy old man in a young man's body. Re-reading the book now I understand Alina and Mal and care more for their relationship even though I still think Mal could have done better before he and Alina were separated but he's a teenage boy and didn't know what he had until it was gone and I can understand being that young and having little to no self-awareness. Honestly the two of them being separated was good for Alina's well being. I still think the Darkling is a creepy old man and honestly even more so, this man is ancient (according to his mother) and he is out here making out with a teenager and asking if he can come to her bedroom later. Ew i don't care if he looks like a teen or is hot. Just ugh. Anyway another reason I enjoyed this book more now is because I have already read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom and I knew what the words Suli, Shu Han, Fjerdan and Kerch meant, they weren't meaningless words to me that went over my head so having that knowledge helped me understand what i was reading better. This time i might actually read the next book.

This was... an interesting one. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it, but I couldn't give it less than three stars. I mean the action was good, I enjoyed it, the setting was something different (I know absolutely nothing about Russia, so don't kill me if the whole thing was off, I don't know better), but it still had the YA marks that will probably never make it my favourite genre.

The atmosphere was really what I like. It had just enough darkness in it without trying to emotionally bully you into feeling sorry for the characters more than necessary. It wasn't trying to be too poetic, just enough to make me enjoy reading and the beginning felt amazing.

I personally am not a fan of books written in first person, mostly because it has the huge risk of failing, simply because I can't stand the main character. In this case this didn't ruin the whole thing completely, but I would have preferred it from a third person view, because honestly, Alina was probably ma least favourite from the characters. She was too much of an emotional roller coaster without me feeling such a huge development in her as a person. One moment she's sickly and boring, the next super strong and tough, one moment she is oh so independent, the next she cries all the time. To me that doesn't make her likeable, just a moody child. (Also, the whole thing with the lame-ish girl who is chased around by a bunch of hilariously charming men is the biggest cliché in the world.)

The worst thing that actually made it lose a star from my original idea of four was the writing of the romance scenes. Somehow those parts made me shudder. It was probably partly the fact that it was written in first person, but they felt cheesy.

Then we have her on again, off again lads... They made it so obvious that you're supposed to root for Mal that I can't help assuming that there will be a twist to redeem the Darkling. He was definitely my favourite, even with his ridiculously suspicious behaviour before him turning out to be evil, but I honestly hope his redemption won't come through his honest love for Alina, but through himself and nothing else. I just want him to be more than really evil, but suddenly sympathetic, because of true love.

I probably sound a bit hard on the book, but all in all, it was pleasant, I'm already reading the second in the series, so it still managed to keep me interested. For some reason I really came to care about the smaller characters, like Baghra, Ivan, Zoya, etc.

All in all, the Darkling and the action scenes carry this whole thing. It's worth a read, especially if you're into YA and you're not bothered by some romance. 6/10

3.75 stars

The story is amazing. I really loved this story. However I don't like the writing style much. I think it can be improved, and the author definitely has the potential to improve it. It didn't bore me at all. The problem is though that some stuff seemed a bit too fast. I think this book could have been more elaborated with a bit more focus on the description. The characters didn't have a complete figure in my head at all when it comes to their look.
That's all.

it was ok. I wish I cared about the characters more.

4.5/5 stars

• Li o livro em um dia... é muito simples a leitura e um pouco rápida a história mas agradável.
  No começo com todos aqueles nomes estranhos e divisões e subdivisões de grupos Grisha eu quase largo o livro e jogo fora O..O, depois passou um pouco a tortura.
  Mas julgo considerar um livro bom quando terminamos de ler e queremos relê-lo para viver naquele mundo criado mais uma vez, ou porque a história e as personagens não saem da cabeça tão facilmente. E foi exatamente o que aconteceu ao término de shadow and bone.
  Continuarei a ler a trilogia por pura curiosidade de saber como o Darkling (que na minha opinião, é um dos vilões mais SENSACIONAIS que alguém já inventou, pois além de lindo, faz você acreditar que ele é o moço bom da história e tem uma super pegada - pervertida feelings...) vai continuar aterrorizando na moral xD, e para ver se olhos de Maly são tão azuis como parecem que são (idiotice minha na verdade.)
  
  - E a história do caco de vidro azul de tão sutil, é linda -
  
  

Russia occupies an interesting place amongst the many other European nations, particularly from the point-of-view of travelers. It is often considered European, but at the same time it is not, either. Historically speaking, it has had a complicated relationship with the more “familiar” Western nations, both before and after the rise of Communism, and in many ways that relationship is still complex and ambivalent. As for its culture, some of it will seem familiar, but more often than not, there is something unfamiliar underlying that familiarity, something that does not fit quite right.

And therein lies the appeal, I think, of Russia as a whole: that dichotomy of familiarity and unfamiliarity, and how a country that gave the world Tchaikovsky and Dostoevsky can also be the same country that produced Stalin and the gulag. There is also the deep, and deeply fascinating, well of folklore and fairytale that has, I think, not yet been completely mined by scholars and writers: a well from which a plethora of amazing genre writing can come.

In many ways, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, the first book in the Grisha Trilogy, is an attempt at this. Set in a world Russian-esque fantasy world, Shadow and Bone is the story of Alina Starkov, an orphan girl who discovers that she might be one of the Grisha: magic-wielders who hold a great deal of power in the kingdom of Ravka. Taken in by the Darkling, Ravka's most powerful and most terrifying Grisha, Alina finds herself thrust into the Grisha's glittering world, where she must train herself in the use of her powers so that someday, she might destroy the deadly Shadow Fold and unite Ravka once again. However, an unexpected revelation reveals to her the dark truth underneath the gold and jewels of the Grisha's world, and she realizes that everything she has been told might very well be a lie - and that it is up to her to make sure that the world is not destroyed by one man's greed for power.

I was rather looking forward to reading this book, mostly because of the Russian elements in the story. It's not often, after all, that one reads a fantasy in a Russian-esque setting, which made Shadow and Bone quite appealing to me. I have since found out, however, that a lot of people - and I do mean a lot - are unhappy with the way Russian culture has been treated in this novel. I cannot say for sure how badly it has been portrayed, since my understanding of Russian history and culture is limited, but from what other reviewers have said, the book makes an utter travesty of it.

Perhaps they are right: many Russian readers have been quite outspoken about the misrepresentation of their culture - particularly with the way the Russian language was used in the story, which seems to form the crux of the complaints about this novel. Take the term “Grisha”: reviewers have claimed that the word is a diminutive of the given name Grigori, thus making it silly to use as a term for a group of magic- wielders, but given the way the Grisha are portrayed in Shadow and Bone I suspect that Bardugo thought “Grisha” could be used as another term for the angelic Watchers mentioned in Biblical and Judaic apocrypha, who are known as grigori in Slavic languages (though I wonder how other reviewers might have missed this connection, given how strikingly obvious it was to me once I found out that Grisha was a diminutive for Grigori), in which case the term “Grisha” would seem apropos for a group of magic-wielders.

Of course, I am certain I could be wrong about that interpretation, as I am not familiar with the Russian language in the least and how naming conventions operate, so perhaps my Grisha-equals-grigori-meaning-angelic-Watchers theory won't truly hold up. There are also multiple other issues related to the use of the Russian language in the story that make it quite clear that Bardugo could have stood to do a bit more research before using the words she did in the context they appear in in the novel. This is unfortunate, because it appears to indicate that Bardugo did not give enough thought to her possible audience, choosing to write what she pleased without having any real care for what she was doing and how her writing might be received.

That being said, I can appreciate whatever effort Bardugo has put into her world-building - certainly it is far more solid than some of the other young-adult novels I've seen put out in a while, and that is something I can appreciate. Describing magic as a system no different from science (as well as an attempt to work some proper physics into the whole structure of it - such as Inferni being unable to produce fire out of thin air, but having to use a flint to get that initial spark) is something I can appreciate, though it appears that some characters are an exception to that rule. There is also the attempt at a class-divided social structure for Ravka, though much of the focus (in this book, at least) is on the upper class. I raised my eyebrow somewhat at the hierarchical structure for the Ravkan court, which is very French a la Versailles in the 18th century with its emphasis on beauty and fashion, but it is entirely possible that the Russian courts operated in just such a manner for a while, despite my misgivings. In all other respects, however, this is a pretty good Russian-esque world - and I use the term “Russian-esque” for a reason, because it's obvious that Bardugo is not attempting to recreate a period, or periods, of Russian history. To think otherwise would be patently silly, rather like expecting the Middle-Eastern world of the Arabian Nights to be a true and accurate reflection of the medieval Middle East.

As for the characters, they are intriguing enough to hold my attention, though they are not capable of inspiring a great deal of fangirlish love in me. Alina, in particular, has a rather good narrative voice, which is fortunate since she is the main narrator for the novel. She is not, however, all that interesting a character - at least, not right now. Perhaps she develops into a more interesting character further down the line, though the fact that I need another book to see if she will become an interesting character or not is already rather worrisome for what she might be in subsequent books. The Darkling is also quite interesting, with an intriguing plot twist where it concerns his motivations, though as with Alina I find myself hoping that he will become more complex as the series develops - again, an equally worrisome thought, though not to the same degree as Alina. It is mostly the supporting characters who I find the most interesting: Mal, in particular, intrigues me to no end and I hope to read more about him in later books. Genya, Ivan, and Zoya, too, are all quite fascinating, and I hope to see them again further down the line.

Thematically speaking, this novel is not that different from a whole host of other YA books: growing up, the acceptance of one's destiny - and the need to rebel against it - are at the core of Shadow and Bone as they are in a lot of other YA novels. What this novel does have going for it, though, is that while romance is still present, it is not the end-all and be-all of this novel. Love is something Alina struggles with, of course, but it is not the main point of the whole plot - and this is something I am very much grateful for. There is also the potential for other, darker, and more mature themes, mostly to do with class, but it remains to be seen whether or not Bardugo does address these other (and, I feel, rather more important) themes in later books.

Overall, Shadow and Bone is not a bad start to a trilogy, nor is it that bad a book overall. There are myriad issues with it (mostly concerning the amount of research Bardugo did or did not do for this novel), but for the most part, it functions - and that is also the most worrisome aspect of it. A truly enjoyable book should not merely function, it should come alive for the reader, and while some parts of the novel do this quite admirably, there are also parts that do not. Reading the next book is the only way to find out whether or not this trilogy is as noteworthy as the hype makes it out to be - but I am not entirely eager to get to it right away, despite the cliffhanger. It can wait a while, I think.

Incredibly formulaic and poorly written with some jarringly bad word choices in the dialogue (In a Russianesque historical fantasy world characters are said to be acting “bitchy” or “bratty”? No, definitely no.) Very disappointing, especially considering that it was a JLG selection and that the sequel will be a part of my upcoming level shipment.

THIS BOOK.

UGH.

Competent YA entry. Departs from the norm in some ways, to its credit, but is otherwise more formulaic than I'd like. Begins to explain its magic system, which I always like, but stops trying almost as soon as it starts.

Negatives: “Darkling” is a dumb name. Ostensibly strong female protagonist is nonetheless defined by what the men in her life think of her.

______

Changing my review a bit after chewing it over a bit more, and lowering the rating slightly.

It's a YA book and standards tend to get lowered, but they shouldn't be, really. This one does a lot of things I want to like, but then it goes and messes them up. Here's a list, spoilered because it contains major plot points:

- "Darkling" is a dumb name. It also predisposes the reader to think he's a villain. As a result,- The reversal sort of got me. I assumed from the beginning that the Darkling was bad news, but after taking so long to reveal himself, I eventually started to assume I was wrong, and was consequently surprised by the reveal. But it shouldn't have been telegraphed like that in the first place.- I like it when fantasy books explain their magic systems, and it started to do that and it was great. Then it stopped explaining almost immediately after it started. Boo.- When Alexei died in the beginning, I thought, "Huh, a YA book that isn't afraid to kill people, cool." Then it failed to do the same with any major characters. I won't say I wanted Mal to die in the Fold near the end, but his salvation was awfully deus ex machina and ultimately unsatisfying. It feels a lot less brave when everyone who "matters" is safe.- Similarly, in the very beginning, I was ecstatic to see that the orphan girl of unknown parentage hadn't turned out to be a super powerful sorceress or whatever. Then it turned out she was. I know YA books don't often subvert tropes, but it looked like maybe this one was gonna be special.- It's nice to see a strong female protagonist. It's less nice to see her value still defined wholly by what the men in her life think of her, and that was a constant. First Mal, then the Darkling, then Mal again.

(Read FULL, combined review with Racquel here at The Book Barbies.)


A brief summary of my thoughts:
The art and style of this book is phenomenal! I think half of the experience is just looking at the pretty. Anyway, I was excited to read Shadow and Bone on one hand, but my best friend had just abandoned it halfway through because she couldn't get into it. I picked it up anyway, though, and was immediately sucked in! I had been in a bit of a reading slump, and this book effectively cured it.

Despite the fact that I wound up not supporting either of the guys in The Triangle, I did wind up loving Shadow and Bone! Which is a testament so what an interesting tale it really was. I was a little less than impressed by the end, but I also read the last 50 pages standing in line at the DMV in a crowd that a) wouldn't shut up, and b) was not so fond of deodorant. So that may have played a factor. Still, reading Shadow and Bone was a great experience! Some of my expectations matched the reality (it was so addicting!) and some did not (no Darkling-induced swooning here!), and overall, this book was thoroughly enjoyable. And sneak preview? I loved Siege and Storm even more!

4.5 stars

Surprisingly good, definitely richer than I can expected going in. Excellent world building, interesting magic system, characterization was a little expected at times but still engaging. Good little twist at the end and the second book is set up nicely. Looking forward to the next one - coming out sometime in 2013.

4.5/5
i can't for more of the grisha world

Whew, at least it caught up in the end! Review to come.

A Sun Summoner is discovered! Ravka is saved! And Alina, our Sun Summoner, (they are as rare there as an honest politician here) is whisked away from everything she has ever known. Sounds familiar? It is. Once in Os Alta, (where the Grisha live) she is taught by Botkin and Baghra to harness her powers, which is apparently beyond belief. And then there's her new mate, Genya, a Tailor. (I fell for Genya. By the end, I wanted to kill her and make out with her. But not necessarily in that order.) Alina misses her best friend Mal, but she's starting to fancy the Darkling. But while the Darkling and Alina are off having sexy times, Mal is biting his nails off and worrying himself stiff. Let me break down the Darkling, Alina and Mal. Alina: If someone in Ravka is called the Darkling, then I imagine Alina would be called the Weakling. A Sun Summoner sounds too...lively...to be her. If anyone was expecting a paragon of chick spunk, Alina isn't it. She's a nobody. She is the “nothing special” disenchanted creature personified. Not your typical kick ass heroine at all. She seemed a little on the kiss ass side, to tell you the truth. And here's the two men in this luurve triangle. (This one's relatively scalene.)Mal: He is so goddamned perfect and thoroughly sexy in his drunk on kvas and his girl tumbling ways, I wanted his flawless head on a stick right away. Fellow orphan turned best friend, He Who Leaves Swooning Grisha In His Wake (okay, not really.) But I'll have to confess that it was the sexed-up Darkling that I wanted, not the beddable Mal. Darkling: The Darkling, really? (Will he ignite into flames in the sun? Does he bleed mystery and smell like brimstone? He sounds like he rides on the Nazgûl's Hell Hawks and has a few of them Horcruxes stashed away somewhere.) But more ad rem, is he dark and does he brood? Yes. Is he clichéd? YES. So much yes. Will you still fall for him helplessly? Sadly, yes.(And the end felt too slapdash and lackadaisical and slipshod. No, those are not words I've just made up right now.) “The stag had been showing me my strength-not just the price of mercy but the power it bestowed. And mercy was something the Darkling would never understand.” Alina seems to have a very Dumblebore-ian appreciation of mercy here. It really is a decent book though, and to be honest I feel quite guilty for not liking it better. I think the Hype Bunny killed it for me. Millions of [b:Divergent 8306857 Divergent (Divergent, #1) Veronica Roth http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327873996s/8306857.jpg 13155899] fans fell for it, too. To have someone like Veronica Roth say, “Unlike anything I've ever read.” for your book! I expected more. Alina Starkov(a) couldn't be lesser like Tris. She wasn't even Tris Lite. And Mal isn't the first or the last best friend some girl falls in love with. As for the Darkling, he's just a Sapling of true evil. (See what I did there? -ling? No?)All in all, not haunting, but not spiritless either.