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A review by fantasynovel
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
Read this in one 3-hr sitting this morning. LOVED it. What can I say? I love those YA fantasy tropes, and Leigh Bardugo hit a bunch without beating them in with a hammer. Main character with a really cool power? You bet. Main character who has to work r e a l l y hard to master her power? YOU BET! Petty pretty mean girls . . . unfortunately. Gorgeous girl who isn't ohmygawd a totes evil bitch for liking pretty things? Hello, Genya! Also, I love, love, love Russian novels, and I loved the Russian feel of the book. It's not nearly as complex as the actual Imperial Russia was, but most YA books fantasy books based on real countries aren't nearly as complex. Also, a bunch of problems would be overcome by the equivalent of Alina clapping her hands and believing in fairies, which I think was a weak way out.
But the characters, tho!!! I know a bunch of ppl didn't really like Alina, and there was definitely shit she did that I didn't like. Marie and Nadia didn't seem that bad, but Alina was judging them way harshly. But Alina was a fun narrator, and there was just so much trope-y goodness going on. Usually I forking hate love triangles, but this one was bearable bc its ending was so obvious. And I love those plots that are like "struggle between going and evil."
And the Unsea (a way scarier name than the Fold, BTW) was the coolest shit ever. Unfortunately, the coolest shit ever only appeared in the very beginning and very end of the book. The middle was chill with no thrill. She just went to an uninteresting boarding school for Grisha's for a while. And I think that magical boarding schools are the coolest things every, so I don't know why this one couldn't be cooler. There was just so much . . . filler. Hopefully the second book with have more Unsea and less Uni.
But the characters, tho!!! I know a bunch of ppl didn't really like Alina, and there was definitely shit she did that I didn't like. Marie and Nadia didn't seem that bad, but Alina was judging them way harshly. But Alina was a fun narrator, and there was just so much trope-y goodness going on. Usually I forking hate love triangles, but this one was bearable bc its ending was so obvious. And I love those plots that are like "struggle between going and evil."
And the Unsea (a way scarier name than the Fold, BTW) was the coolest shit ever. Unfortunately, the coolest shit ever only appeared in the very beginning and very end of the book. The middle was chill with no thrill. She just went to an uninteresting boarding school for Grisha's for a while. And I think that magical boarding schools are the coolest things every, so I don't know why this one couldn't be cooler. There was just so much . . . filler. Hopefully the second book with have more Unsea and less Uni.