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ecmcmahon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
annmariematzker's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! I truly fell for the Darkling and Mal and by the end I felt just as deceived as Alina. I loved the message, “there’s power in mercy” from Alina sparing the stag. My hope is that the next two books don’t tear Mal and Alina away from me.
enajait's review against another edition
4.0
I haven’t read a lot of YA fantasy so Shadow and Bone was a little out of my comfort zone in terms of book preference but I really enjoyed it! The world was fascinating, the characters well developed and the ending made me question my judgement because I did NOT see it coming! 4/5 stars
cinderelles's review against another edition
3.0
Publishers Weekly’s review of the book states “Alina’s angst and passivity are a bit of a letdown” and honestly that sums up my review. The world-building (though to be fair I came to this fresh off my Six-of-Crows Grishaverse high) is compelling, setting an interesting stage without being overwhelming, and for the most part the plot is at least interesting to keep you reading, even if you don’t exactly spend time pondering it after the book is closed. But my main problem with the book is Alina, who should be this strong character and when you strip away her magic sun power, really isn’t.
Six of Crows has such a twisting interesting plot and amazing romantic subplots and Shadow and Bone just comes down to ‘Alina has to pick between evil-hottie or oblivious-childhood-friend, and oh yeah there are like evil darkness monsters or something’.
So I’m probably going to read the rest, but only for the side-character’s growth, and so I can watch the TV shows and see my beloved Crows again.
Oh, and while I’m at it (spoilers for the end of the book ahead) why was Alina all like ‘oh no I can’t possibly kill that stag’ and so basically dooms Ravka because she’s being nice and then like four chapters later she abandons a ship full of people to monsters in the fold and is more worried about Mal almost dying than all those dead villagers. Like, is she a pacifist or is she willing to murder for her goals? It can’t be both, she can’t spare deer and murder people!
Publishers Weekly review for anyone interested (I pretty much agree with everything they said): https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-9459-6
Six of Crows has such a twisting interesting plot and amazing romantic subplots and Shadow and Bone just comes down to ‘Alina has to pick between evil-hottie or oblivious-childhood-friend, and oh yeah there are like evil darkness monsters or something’.
So I’m probably going to read the rest, but only for the side-character’s growth, and so I can watch the TV shows and see my beloved Crows again.
Oh, and while I’m at it (spoilers for the end of the book ahead) why was Alina all like ‘oh no I can’t possibly kill that stag’ and so basically dooms Ravka because she’s being nice and then like four chapters later she abandons a ship full of people to monsters in the fold and is more worried about Mal almost dying than all those dead villagers. Like, is she a pacifist or is she willing to murder for her goals? It can’t be both, she can’t spare deer and murder people!
Publishers Weekly review for anyone interested (I pretty much agree with everything they said): https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-9459-6
nicmedia123's review against another edition
5.0
Very medieval-like but not medieval. Classic light vs. dark motif. Flying beasts are evil. Strong characters. Beware of slight love triangle, but not excessively mushy. Sequel to follow.
kathrynlbest's review against another edition
5.0
This book is everything I want in a fantasy novel: practiced magic that improves with time and effort, world and cultural depth that you learn over time, limited romance - I could go on! I really enjoyed the balance of powers, the complexity of the arcane, and the twists of the storyline. I can’t wait to read the next book!
shreeb's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I had problems with the structure and characters, but I did like the worldbuilding and how the Grisha are shown to be powerful but by no means invincible. Alina was probably the biggest problem to me because she has the typical YA female protagonist cliches, which made her seem mostly really annoying and it felt like the only reason she’s special is because of her being “the chosen one” and nothing else. I also didn’t care for the love triangle at all because I’d seen it so many times and the way it was handled in this book wasn’t the best in my opinion. Overall, not a great book but surprisingly, a beginning to an amazing world
readingwithleina's review against another edition
5.0
Pros
- Super fast paced
- Kept me wanting to read what happening next
- Loved the plot
Cons
- Writing style was okay (this was one of Bardugo's first books anyway:) )
Favorite Parts
- Quotes
- Not very much memorable quotes honestly
- Favorite Chapters
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
-Favorite Funny Line/Part
- "'I still have the roll,' I offered lamely, pulling the squashed, lint-covered lump from my pockets." - Alina (pg. 278)
Critique
- Holy shit guys. I just bough the rest of the series for the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. I do not regret this amazing purchase.
- I. Love. This. Book.
- I had no idea what-so-ever what this book was about. I honestly just bought it because of Booktok and my book friends told me to read it. Let me tell you guys, this book was amazing.
- The Darkling? Toxic yet very hot;) I just can't help but be attracted to toxic men (i'm not joking this is a real problem in my life lol).
- The plot twist were just amazing honestly. I didn't even think about it because I was just so immersed into this book. I also couldn't believe I read this book in just two days, like, who am I??
- I enjoyed Alina as a character. She admits that she's fearful especially in the first part of the book. She was afraid to die yet when the book was coming to the end, she wasn't afraid of the dark, of death. I love that honestly. I love how she picked herself up when she thought she had nothing. I just see so much potential in her:)
- As for The Darkling, wow.
- This book was just very enjoyable to read:) Waiting for the next two books and hoping to order Six of Crows next!
Overall Review
- 5/5 stars
- Fast-paced book
- Super fast paced
- Kept me wanting to read what happening next
- Loved the plot
Cons
- Writing style was okay (this was one of Bardugo's first books anyway:) )
Favorite Parts
- Quotes
- Not very much memorable quotes honestly
- Favorite Chapters
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
-Favorite Funny Line/Part
- "'I still have the roll,' I offered lamely, pulling the squashed, lint-covered lump from my pockets." - Alina (pg. 278)
Critique
- Holy shit guys. I just bough the rest of the series for the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. I do not regret this amazing purchase.
- I. Love. This. Book.
- I had no idea what-so-ever what this book was about. I honestly just bought it because of Booktok and my book friends told me to read it. Let me tell you guys, this book was amazing.
- The Darkling? Toxic yet very hot;) I just can't help but be attracted to toxic men (i'm not joking this is a real problem in my life lol).
- The plot twist were just amazing honestly. I didn't even think about it because I was just so immersed into this book. I also couldn't believe I read this book in just two days, like, who am I??
- I enjoyed Alina as a character. She admits that she's fearful especially in the first part of the book. She was afraid to die yet when the book was coming to the end, she wasn't afraid of the dark, of death. I love that honestly. I love how she picked herself up when she thought she had nothing. I just see so much potential in her:)
- As for The Darkling, wow.
Spoiler
I did not see the betrayal coming (even if we don't know he actually betrayed us actually). Like chapter 15 was just amazing. I loved how Bardugo made me as the reader feel naive to trust The Darkling even when we knew nothing of him. I honestly felt what Alina felt, hurt that he was just using her for her power.- This book was just very enjoyable to read:) Waiting for the next two books and hoping to order Six of Crows next!
Overall Review
- 5/5 stars
- Fast-paced book
hanland's review against another edition
4.0
A good story and great villain. The only thing that really bothered me was her fantasy linguistics. It felt a little like that meme of Ed Sheeran and Rupert Grint of when you copy your friend’s homework and change it slightly before you turn it in. I see the advantages of basing a fantasy language after one that exists, but change it a little more than adding a couple letters here and there. That just feels lazy.