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A review by notesbynnenna
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
3.0
3.5 stars
As soon as I heard the news about Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse adaptation coming to Netflix, I rushed out to pick up the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom a couple years ago and absolutely loved both books. Since the TV adaptation is going to be a combination of the two series, I needed to catch up!
Alina is ordinary. She's been an orphan for as long as she can remember, so she's never really felt like she fit it or belonged somewhere. One day when her regiment is brutally attacked and her best friend's life is in danger, she discovers that she has a hidden power that she uses to save his life. After the revelation of her powers, her life is no longer ordinary and she's sent to the capital to train with the Grisha.
Since I'd already read the Six of Crows duology, this wasn't my first introduction to the Grishaverse. I remembered most of the terminology and felt comfortable diving back into this world.
I love the way that Bardugo writes dialogue. She's just so good at writing banter between the characters that is so fun to read. Also, I love the Grishaverse world and think Bardugo has created something really special there.
I will say that I didn't gravitate towards these characters in the same way that I immediately fell in love with the characters of Six of Crows. But, I sympathized with Alina's struggles. She grows up with Mal, who's also an orphan. As they get older, Mal grows into his own and becomes popular, while Alina is still awkward and in the background. It's hard to watch someone you've known for so long grow apart from you. Also, as an orphan, Alina is used to blending in and fading into the background. It takes her a long to accept that her powers are special and to believe in her own self-worth.
I was definitely comparing this to the Six of Crows series while I was reading it. I found Shadow and Bone to be slower-paced and it didn't suck me in quite the same way. However, there were a lot of great things about this book and I thought it was an enjoyable read.
//
Started a bit slow for me, but by the end it was a wild ride!
As soon as I heard the news about Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse adaptation coming to Netflix, I rushed out to pick up the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom a couple years ago and absolutely loved both books. Since the TV adaptation is going to be a combination of the two series, I needed to catch up!
Alina is ordinary. She's been an orphan for as long as she can remember, so she's never really felt like she fit it or belonged somewhere. One day when her regiment is brutally attacked and her best friend's life is in danger, she discovers that she has a hidden power that she uses to save his life. After the revelation of her powers, her life is no longer ordinary and she's sent to the capital to train with the Grisha.
Since I'd already read the Six of Crows duology, this wasn't my first introduction to the Grishaverse. I remembered most of the terminology and felt comfortable diving back into this world.
I love the way that Bardugo writes dialogue. She's just so good at writing banter between the characters that is so fun to read. Also, I love the Grishaverse world and think Bardugo has created something really special there.
I will say that I didn't gravitate towards these characters in the same way that I immediately fell in love with the characters of Six of Crows. But, I sympathized with Alina's struggles. She grows up with Mal, who's also an orphan. As they get older, Mal grows into his own and becomes popular, while Alina is still awkward and in the background. It's hard to watch someone you've known for so long grow apart from you. Also, as an orphan, Alina is used to blending in and fading into the background. It takes her a long to accept that her powers are special and to believe in her own self-worth.
I was definitely comparing this to the Six of Crows series while I was reading it. I found Shadow and Bone to be slower-paced and it didn't suck me in quite the same way. However, there were a lot of great things about this book and I thought it was an enjoyable read.
//
Started a bit slow for me, but by the end it was a wild ride!