Shadow and Bone Review

Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: June 5th 2012
Source: ARC for Review (Thanks Macmillan)
Rating: 4.5
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Summary:



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:

I don't think I've read something as strange and awesome as Shadow and Bone. I can honestly say that I have never read anything quite like it. I'm new to the high fantasy genre, and if others in this genre are a great and unique as this one than I will have to read them all. Shadow and Bone was extremely well done!

What a great way for Leigh Bardugo to debut! Will an imagination this vast and writing and story telling skills this great she will no doubt go far with her writing career. The world of the Grisha is epic, with the shadow-fold and the frightful creatures that hide in its darkness I was drawn in so far that I just didn't want to come out. To top it all off Grisha powers are pretty kick-ass, I wish I had some of those.

Alina started off as an okay character, but as she learnt about her powers and how to use them I grew to love her. Her powers are pretty neat as well, but I won't tell you what they are you will have to find out for yourself. I really loved her bestfriend Mal, especially as their friendship leaned towards something more towards the end. Even though the Darkling is the bad guy of the story I loved him as well he had some nice sensitive sides with Alina in the book.

As first I was a bit confused with the odd words used in Shadow and Bone to describe the world and didn't types of Grisha and what exactly their powers were. Eventually I did learn them, they are just words I have never seen before and their were so many I kept having to flip back to the Grisha guide at the front of the book. That guide was very helpful. Once you get used to and understand the world of Ravka, you will no doubt fall in love with all the characters, and the world of Grisha. This book is seriously amazing, and I need book two now. I'm am ecstatic to be apart of the blog tour coming up, look out for an interview with Leigh in mid June.