Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Shadow and Bone

Honestly, I really liked this book. I finished it in about 5 days, and I’m very excited to start the next one. Definitely a book that got a lot of gasps from me towards the end. The world it is set in seems so interesting that I already see myself falling in love with it. Although I was a little late to reading this series, I don’t doubt that it will live up to the hype.

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adrians_library's review

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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archaicrobin's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I feel it’s mediocre YA fantasy novels like this that cause me to avoid the genre entirely. I’d heard nothing but positives about the Shadow and Bone series, and I’d read Leigh Bardugo’s 1st installment in her adult dark academia fantasy series, which while I didn’t love I didn’t hate either, so I was really excited to start this series with friends, expecting to at least enjoy the ride.

There was no enjoyment on this ride. I don’t read a ton of fantasy but I feel like the world building in this book completely sucks. I have nothing but questions, what time period does this book take place? There is so much medieval talk of serfs, kings and queens, horses, tents, etc. that I thought ok this is classic high fantasy! But then the Fjerdans have rifles and not only rifles but assault rifles??? Ok so it’s not medieval maybe it’s early 1800s, 1900s? Who knows?!

This was just the first time I started questioning just wtf was going on in this world. Alina is a rare sun summoner who summons light, but the sun is just a giant ball of fire so honestly what is the difference between Alina’s light power and Grisha that can summon fire??

If the Grisha are so powerful than how the hell are HUMANS in power? What are volcra? They’re described as having leathery wings and sharp teeth so they’re bat demons?? And while we’re on that, what does anyone literally ANYONE that is not Genya look like?!! Genya is honestly the only character I remember that was actually described in detail.

In my opinion, there was so much potential here, but I feel like Bardugo chose to focus on her terrible “love triangle” than spend anytime at all crafting a well built world with engaging characters. I could care less about anyone in this book, Alina is bland and flip flops her personality traits throughout the entire book. Mal is an ignorant dick, The Darkling is an abusive, disgusting, pedophile considering he’s over 150 years old and sexually pursuing a 17 year old, the only mildly interesting character for me was Genya and she’s thrown aside halfway through the novel.

I kept waiting for the book to finish setting up for the “good stuff” to happen and instead it took a full tilt into the Alina x Mal x Darkling “love” triangle that I had to force myself to finish this book. I rolled my eyes so often the second half of the book I’m surprised they’re still in my head. Obviously I do not like this book, I will not continue the series, I will not be reading the six of crows, and honestly I don’t even know if I’ll finish Bardugo’s adult series at this point because I’m so underwhelmed by Shadow and Bone nothing else by this author seems worth it to me.

ALSO!! The frequency with which Bardugo has random men make less comments or unwanted sexual advances towards Alina is concerning and in poor taste. You don’t need rape or sexual assault to be introduced constantly to make things scary. I noticed this was another device Bardugo embraced in Ninth House and I find it distasteful.

I sat for a few days waiting for my anger at this book to pass but instead it’s intensified and I feel justified taking the one meager star away and giving Shadow and Bone the 0 it deserves.

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