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eowyns_helmet's reviews
1911 reviews
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
A very well-told tale, with an engaging heroine, Alina, and a fascinating Russiaphile world. I read this at the same time I read [b:The Summer Prince|13453104|The Summer Prince|Alaya Dawn Johnson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347724491s/13453104.jpg|18979477], with its post-apo Brazil, and the world-building here is everything TSP was not -- deft, surprising, intricate and very linked to character. We knew only as much as we needed to, and when there was something worth lingering over, Bardugo lets us, just for a moment. I'm a fan of Prologues and this one (Before) was great -- really set the scene and whets the appetite. Why not more stars? Utterly, utterly predictable plot, down to the dark-haired danger boy and the Peeta-like competitor. Unlike [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)|Ransom Riggs|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391229642s/9460487.jpg|14345371], a book I recently finished (and loved) there was nothing at all that surprised me here. Even fairy tale-like stories can surprise (a good example is the wonderful [b:The Snow Child|11250053|The Snow Child|Eowyn Ivey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327098624s/11250053.jpg|16176521], which shares some of the tundra-ish detail) or the wonderful movie Maleficent, which takes one of the oldest, most familiar stories we have and rings a delightful change on the question of true love. I'll read more of the series hoping that Bardugo's talent leads her to find the Shadow Folds in her own imagination that lead us to delightful new places.