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A review by lilifane
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a super quick, super fun read. I enjoyed it a lot. I think it's good that I waited so long after finishing the Six of Crows duology before I started this one, though.
I love Leigh Bardugo's writing style. It was really smooth and engaging, the story didn't drag at any point. I love the Grisha world although I think a little bit more world building and magic training would have made it even better. I hope there will be some more of this in the next books.
What surprised me the most was Alina. I usually don't like chosen ones in YA fantasy books. They tend to whine a lot but Alina is just really funny. I loved her humour, her straight forwardness in most situations. I could relate to her a lot.
I was also surprised that I wasn't annoyed by the romance plot/ "love triangle". I guess it's because Alina ist such a cool character to be in the head of. Everything she did and felt was believable to me.
Also, the Darkling? .... let's call him my guilty pleasure character, my problematic fav. I have so many thoughts on him and I really like him as a character.
When it comes to the story, it was solid. I actually quite enjoyed how straight forward it was. The plot twist ... threw me off a little at first but the more I thought about it the more I was on board with it, because it added a layer to the main themes of the book. And I absolutely loved these. It seems like a 0815 fantasy plot with a chosen one and his (or in this case her) mission to save the world. But it also explores deeper themes like the wish to belong somewhere, to feel wanted. It shows how supressing a major part of you can weaken you. These topics still resonated with me although I'm not really the target audience, because they are important for every age range.
So yeah, I was positively surprised by this book and I can't wait to continue the series.
I love Leigh Bardugo's writing style. It was really smooth and engaging, the story didn't drag at any point. I love the Grisha world although I think a little bit more world building and magic training would have made it even better. I hope there will be some more of this in the next books.
What surprised me the most was Alina. I usually don't like chosen ones in YA fantasy books. They tend to whine a lot but Alina is just really funny. I loved her humour, her straight forwardness in most situations. I could relate to her a lot.
I was also surprised that I wasn't annoyed by the romance plot/ "love triangle". I guess it's because Alina ist such a cool character to be in the head of. Everything she did and felt was believable to me.
Also, the Darkling? .... let's call him my guilty pleasure character, my problematic fav. I have so many thoughts on him and I really like him as a character.
When it comes to the story, it was solid. I actually quite enjoyed how straight forward it was. The plot twist ... threw me off a little at first but the more I thought about it the more I was on board with it, because it added a layer to the main themes of the book. And I absolutely loved these. It seems like a 0815 fantasy plot with a chosen one and his (or in this case her) mission to save the world. But it also explores deeper themes like the wish to belong somewhere, to feel wanted. It shows how supressing a major part of you can weaken you. These topics still resonated with me although I'm not really the target audience, because they are important for every age range.
So yeah, I was positively surprised by this book and I can't wait to continue the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming