Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Shadow and Bone

I continue to not understand why people dislike this book so much. I had so much fun reading it and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

I didn't want to put it down at all. I felt so immersed into the world that at times I genuinely felt like I was there.

The only reason it's not a 5 star is because I didn't feel like anything in the plot was surprising. Of course I was very happy when I guessed the plot twist but I shouldn't have been able to guess everything that was going to take place throughout the book. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it was a little too predictable for my tastes. Even when I was actively trying not to guess where it was going to go.

Thankfully, predictablility doesn't mean I can't thoroughly enjoy a story.

Content Warnings

filipacmiranda's review

Go to review page

3.5

Shadow and Bone dumps the reader into Alina Starkov's journey as a cartographer turned Grisha. As a main character, Alina is somewhat relatable. She kept trying to find her place and belong - something everyone experiences at some point. And, even though she spent half the book sulking, I can give her a pass because she was emotionally deregulated and lost after being torn from the only person who reminded her of home.

The reader learns things at Alina's pace and gets familiarised with Grisha orders as the story progresses. The lack of an explanation for how Ravka and the Grand/Little Palace worked made the story seem more natural and aligned with her discovery of a new reality. The fact that there's no magic system in this book (with the Small Science being the manipulation of the elements) also made the world it displays seem closer to reality.

This was a pleasurable read with intriguing characters. After seeing how the Netflix show expanded on the original content and considering all the underlying storylines, I believe it could have benefited from other points of view.

---

1st Read (2020): 4.00 stars

Content Warnings

justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.25

“They are orphans again, with no true home but each other and whatever life they can make together on the other side of the sea.”

Well this book is honestly not as good as Six of Crows, but I guess that's to be expected seeing as this is her first novel. The writing style reminded me a lot of Divergent, and the book was fast to get through once I had time to sit down and read it. Comparing this book to Six of Crows is futile because Leigh Bardugo has obviously improved as a writer since writing this book.

Content Warnings