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A review by theespressoedition
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
I realize that I'm super late to the game when it comes to Shadow and Bone, but last year I made the decision to read Six of Crows (thinking that was a prequel or something??) and I didn't care for it. I felt like it was slow-paced and almost overly-detailed. However, I didn't want to let that dictate whether or not I gave S&B a try. When a friend of mine (a huge fan of Bardugo's work) offered to buddy-read this, I agreed! I went into it with an open mind, despite my previous experience with the Grishaverse.
That being said, I absolutely loved Shadow and Bone. From the moment it began, I was totally hooked. I'll admit that I'm not usually one for The Chosen One trope, but I feel as though Alina is a unique character. She doesn't come into her own readily and even fights her abilities throughout the story, which intrigued me. She's a pretty intricate character and while this is only the first book, I like her a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing how she progresses.
On the matter of The Darkling. I knew bits and pieces about this character because of bookstagram. There's a "love to hate" emotion that comes with reading about him. He's toxic. A heavy combination of possibly wicked and definitely seductive. I can see why he's so often discussed. I will say that the plot twist was well done (and that's all I'll say because I want this to be as spoiler-free as possible).
There are a lot of characters to keep track of and right now my feelings are mixed because this is only my introduction to this cast. I don't like Mal. I do love Genya. I know that it's going to be a roller coaster from here on out, but it's a roller coaster I'm excited about.
That being said, I absolutely loved Shadow and Bone. From the moment it began, I was totally hooked. I'll admit that I'm not usually one for The Chosen One trope, but I feel as though Alina is a unique character. She doesn't come into her own readily and even fights her abilities throughout the story, which intrigued me. She's a pretty intricate character and while this is only the first book, I like her a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing how she progresses.
On the matter of The Darkling. I knew bits and pieces about this character because of bookstagram. There's a "love to hate" emotion that comes with reading about him. He's toxic. A heavy combination of possibly wicked and definitely seductive. I can see why he's so often discussed. I will say that the plot twist was well done (and that's all I'll say because I want this to be as spoiler-free as possible).
There are a lot of characters to keep track of and right now my feelings are mixed because this is only my introduction to this cast. I don't like Mal. I do love Genya. I know that it's going to be a roller coaster from here on out, but it's a roller coaster I'm excited about.