Scan barcode
A review by maddiementions
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
3.0
3.5 out of 5 stars
First off, I would like to say that I love Leigh Bardugo's writing style. As soon as I jumped into this book, I immediately recognized her style from Six of Crows. Her writing definitely has gotten better over the years but the way she writes really pulls me into her books. I am not easily drawn into stories where I feel like I can't stop reading, but Leigh's writing really does this for me.
So, I didn't dislike this book as much as I thought I would. And, let's be honest, I only read this for two reasons: 1. Six of Crows is one of my all-time favorites and 2. I wanted to be able to say "Yeah, I read the book" before the Shadow and Bone Netflix series comes out. The plot and idea of the Grisha was really intriguing to me and I think with this world that Leigh wrote, there are endless possibilities for more books (please, maybe another with the Six of Crows characters??). Leigh has created this whole world, along with different languages, people, and magical powers. I hope she decides to continue in this universe!
As for the characters:
Alina. I actually liked her for the most part. Her "Sun Summoner" power is... decent. Harnessing light isn't the dopest magical power to me but I think it fits her well. I liked her personality quite a bit. I wouldn't describe her as a "fierce female protagonist", not yet anyway (maybe later in the series?). She's more sweet and down to earth and I liked that. I did NOT like her obsession with Mal. Girlfriend is whipped for this kid and it was kind of annoying. She's obsessed with him throughout this entire book while it seems like Mal does not care at all. Then, he comes back into Alina's life halfway through the book and was like "I've loved you all this time". I found how sudden all of the romance was in this book kind of odd and I felt that it didn't really fit.
Mal. He felt very underdeveloped. Like I said above, He's sort of portrayed as a player throughout a lot of the book, and then he very suddenly confesses his love to Alina. I wish he had a back story and more development. All we really know is that he grew up with Alina and they're both orphans. Now, he is a major character I think for the next two books so I am really hoping we find out more about him.
The Darkling. I actually really liked the Darkling... of course until you know... we find out he's the bad guy lol. I have a thing for broody mysterious guys so maybe that's why I felt more attracted to him. His character had way more development/backstory than Mal, and I really was expecting him to be the love interest. One thing I really want to know is... does the Darkling actually have a thing for Alina or is he using attraction to manipulate her?
Overall, this book was thrilling, fast-paced, and action-packed. I definitely liked it more than I thought I would. I am intrigued to see how Netflix portrays this series. It could either turn out well or Netflix could completely butcher it. Guess we will have to wait and see!
First off, I would like to say that I love Leigh Bardugo's writing style. As soon as I jumped into this book, I immediately recognized her style from Six of Crows. Her writing definitely has gotten better over the years but the way she writes really pulls me into her books. I am not easily drawn into stories where I feel like I can't stop reading, but Leigh's writing really does this for me.
So, I didn't dislike this book as much as I thought I would. And, let's be honest, I only read this for two reasons: 1. Six of Crows is one of my all-time favorites and 2. I wanted to be able to say "Yeah, I read the book" before the Shadow and Bone Netflix series comes out. The plot and idea of the Grisha was really intriguing to me and I think with this world that Leigh wrote, there are endless possibilities for more books (please, maybe another with the Six of Crows characters??). Leigh has created this whole world, along with different languages, people, and magical powers. I hope she decides to continue in this universe!
As for the characters:
Alina. I actually liked her for the most part. Her "Sun Summoner" power is... decent. Harnessing light isn't the dopest magical power to me but I think it fits her well. I liked her personality quite a bit. I wouldn't describe her as a "fierce female protagonist", not yet anyway (maybe later in the series?). She's more sweet and down to earth and I liked that. I did NOT like her obsession with Mal. Girlfriend is whipped for this kid and it was kind of annoying. She's obsessed with him throughout this entire book while it seems like Mal does not care at all. Then, he comes back into Alina's life halfway through the book and was like "I've loved you all this time". I found how sudden all of the romance was in this book kind of odd and I felt that it didn't really fit.
Mal. He felt very underdeveloped. Like I said above, He's sort of portrayed as a player throughout a lot of the book, and then he very suddenly confesses his love to Alina. I wish he had a back story and more development. All we really know is that he grew up with Alina and they're both orphans. Now, he is a major character I think for the next two books so I am really hoping we find out more about him.
The Darkling. I actually really liked the Darkling... of course until you know...
Overall, this book was thrilling, fast-paced, and action-packed. I definitely liked it more than I thought I would. I am intrigued to see how Netflix portrays this series. It could either turn out well or Netflix could completely butcher it. Guess we will have to wait and see!