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bunny_herondale's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 actually
I WAS FINISHING MY REVIEW AND GOODREADS DELETED IT, IT'S OFFICIAL I HATE THE PHONE APP.
SPOILER ALERT.
Well, actually I saw maaaany people hating this book so when I started reading it I thought this would be bad, but it's actually pretty good.
I mean, don't get me wrong, it still has the cliché of every single YA novel written between 2005 and 2014, but it has plots and very interesting stuff and characters.
One thing I saw that many people hated was the romance between Mal and Alina, I actually liked that part, many people don't believe it but this stuff actually happens, that you notice you're in love with your closest friend only when your closest friend is somewhere else.
I wouldn't say I exactly liked the Darkling, I mean, I like him but not in a literary boyfriend way, more in a oh damn this character is interesting as hell way.
So now that I spoiled something that happens in the second half of the book, let's get started.
What is Shadow & Bone about?
Well, we have the story of this girl, Alina, who is an orphan and his only family is Mal, a sexy, strong, tall and a little womanizer guy that is an orphan too and Alina's best friend. Of course Alina is in love with him and Mal is oblivious to it.
So, one day in their life as members of the First Army, they're about to die, so Alina shows her true power hidden deep inside her and saves their lifes and few others more, yay!
But what is that power? Well, I'm glad you asked! Alina is a Grisha, the Grisha are people that do stuff that seems like magic but isn't actually magic, is manipulating nature and all that stuff to make other stuff, fire, darknes or sunlight in Alina's case.
Of course because Alina is our main character her power has to be unique! She is the Sun Summoner... THE ONLY ONE, amazing, right?
But obviously she doesn't found it amazing, she wants to return home, to Mal, even when she has everything in the Little Palace, everything but Mal, of course.
So now she has to get trained and try not to get to much involved with that amazing misterious dark haired hot man that is also one of the most powerful and ancient men alive.
Want to know what happens next? Well, read the book, is actually pretty good and I don't think you want to be spoiled in the upcoming Netflix adaptation.
I WAS FINISHING MY REVIEW AND GOODREADS DELETED IT, IT'S OFFICIAL I HATE THE PHONE APP.
SPOILER ALERT.
Well, actually I saw maaaany people hating this book so when I started reading it I thought this would be bad, but it's actually pretty good.
I mean, don't get me wrong, it still has the cliché of every single YA novel written between 2005 and 2014, but it has plots and very interesting stuff and characters.
One thing I saw that many people hated was the romance between Mal and Alina, I actually liked that part, many people don't believe it but this stuff actually happens, that you notice you're in love with your closest friend only when your closest friend is somewhere else.
I wouldn't say I exactly liked the Darkling, I mean, I like him but not in a literary boyfriend way, more in a oh damn this character is interesting as hell way.
So now that I spoiled something that happens in the second half of the book, let's get started.
What is Shadow & Bone about?
Well, we have the story of this girl, Alina, who is an orphan and his only family is Mal, a sexy, strong, tall and a little womanizer guy that is an orphan too and Alina's best friend. Of course Alina is in love with him and Mal is oblivious to it.
So, one day in their life as members of the First Army, they're about to die, so Alina shows her true power hidden deep inside her and saves their lifes and few others more, yay!
But what is that power? Well, I'm glad you asked! Alina is a Grisha, the Grisha are people that do stuff that seems like magic but isn't actually magic, is manipulating nature and all that stuff to make other stuff, fire, darknes or sunlight in Alina's case.
Of course because Alina is our main character her power has to be unique! She is the Sun Summoner... THE ONLY ONE, amazing, right?
But obviously she doesn't found it amazing, she wants to return home, to Mal, even when she has everything in the Little Palace, everything but Mal, of course.
So now she has to get trained and try not to get to much involved with that amazing misterious dark haired hot man that is also one of the most powerful and ancient men alive.
Want to know what happens next? Well, read the book, is actually pretty good and I don't think you want to be spoiled in the upcoming Netflix adaptation.
nicormv's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sleepytimebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
simon_'s review against another edition
4.0
While occasionally frustrated with Alina's motivations in the first half of the book, it still remains a very griping story. The world around Alina feels very well built.
whoissareader's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
kendallcovington's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
marcusrigsby's review against another edition
5.0
I know, I KNOW! The plot is so formulaic that I'm sure the author googled "Generic YA Templates" for inspiration. And yes, the characters are all archetypes with a maximum of two personality traits each. In fact, I would say that I agree with about 90% of the comments from the 1-2 star reviews. And, god, what a stupid and weirdly sexual title! But you know what? I'm still giving this book 5/5 stars, because I could not fucking put it down.
The secret to Shadow and Bone's success is its control of tension. Bardugo throws her readers into battles with eldritch terrors and brutal human enemies and just as quickly yanks them back into the comparatively safer world of courtly intrigues and painful social tension. There's not a monster or a mean girl here that you haven't encountered in a hundred other YA novels, but Bardugo's slick writing style will have you devouring pages like popcorn just to see if each story arc reaches its comfortingly familiar conclusion.
I will also concede that, having watched the Netflix version before reading the book, I was disappointed to find that Book-Alina has no Shu ancestry, as Netflix-Alina does. Netflix's decision to reimagine Alina as a political outcast added a layer of complexity and social commentary that the book really could have used. But the key to enjoying this ride is to accept that a book doesn't need to break any ground to leave an impression. A familiar story in the hands of a skilled storyteller can still keep you reading late into the night. If you're an aspiring writer of YA fiction, I recommend that you buy this book, outline it, dissect it, and find out how Bardugo does it. Casual readers, on the other hand, might be content to check it out at the library.
The secret to Shadow and Bone's success is its control of tension. Bardugo throws her readers into battles with eldritch terrors and brutal human enemies and just as quickly yanks them back into the comparatively safer world of courtly intrigues and painful social tension. There's not a monster or a mean girl here that you haven't encountered in a hundred other YA novels, but Bardugo's slick writing style will have you devouring pages like popcorn just to see if each story arc reaches its comfortingly familiar conclusion.
I will also concede that, having watched the Netflix version before reading the book, I was disappointed to find that Book-Alina has no Shu ancestry, as Netflix-Alina does. Netflix's decision to reimagine Alina as a political outcast added a layer of complexity and social commentary that the book really could have used. But the key to enjoying this ride is to accept that a book doesn't need to break any ground to leave an impression. A familiar story in the hands of a skilled storyteller can still keep you reading late into the night. If you're an aspiring writer of YA fiction, I recommend that you buy this book, outline it, dissect it, and find out how Bardugo does it. Casual readers, on the other hand, might be content to check it out at the library.
zzsoo's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
strawberryjyj's review against another edition
2.0
1.75 stars,
I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy, that may be the reason I didn’t like this book
I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy, that may be the reason I didn’t like this book