Shadow and Bone Review
Title: Shadow and BoneAuthor: Leigh Bardugo
Series: GrishaVerse #1
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Publication Date: 26 June 2018
Source: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Rating: 4 Stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold - a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.
Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country's magical military elite - and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.
As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.
Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.
Book Review:
Pre-reading Thoughts:
Everyone has pretty much already read this series. Or at least it feels that way. I loved the stories in Language of Thorns and thought that I should definitely give this series a shot. I absolutely love these new editions that have been released and the detail is incredible. I am slightly nervous that I won't enjoy it as much as I hope.
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book! Just a quick disclaimer for those reading this review, I have received this book for free.
The writing in this book pulls you in from the first page. The pacing is well done and the amount of detail used is well balanced. The writing isn't heavy but rather something that aids the reading process. I liked the dialogue as it flowed quite well and naturally. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of words unique to Bardugo's books.
The plot in itself is slow. All the events unfold slowing but also systematically. There is a purpose for everything. I liked how the further you read, the clearer the picture became. Despite the slowness of the plot, it never felt as though things were dragging. Instead, the layout of the plot allowed the reader to remain interested. This book definitely felt as though it was setting everything up for what I to come. As readers, we learn about the GrishaVerse through Alina's thoughts and observations.
The characters in this book are well fleshed out and jump off of the page. Alina seems the most accessible as she feels deeply and her thoughts, in my opinion, are so much like my own in some cases. Alina's need to be something more but also something that is steadfast and unchanging is what creates her depth as a character. Her emotions seemed to seep off the page and settle on my bones. I felt everything she did and her pain brought my heart to a standstill
Overall, this was an amazing first book in a series. It sets up for the next book quite well and it does a great job of introducing readers to this new and magical world. The writing and the characters worked in bringing the reader into the plot, which in this first book was slower paced. The characters had accessible characteristics which pulled the reader in whilst the writing made reading this book easy. I sped through this and enjoyed every second of it. Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book. I look forward to reading the next one!
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book! Just a quick disclaimer for those reading this review, I have received this book for free.
Writing Thoughts:
The writing in this book pulls you in from the first page. The pacing is well done and the amount of detail used is well balanced. The writing isn't heavy but rather something that aids the reading process. I liked the dialogue as it flowed quite well and naturally. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of words unique to Bardugo's books.
Plot Thoughts:
The plot in itself is slow. All the events unfold slowing but also systematically. There is a purpose for everything. I liked how the further you read, the clearer the picture became. Despite the slowness of the plot, it never felt as though things were dragging. Instead, the layout of the plot allowed the reader to remain interested. This book definitely felt as though it was setting everything up for what I to come. As readers, we learn about the GrishaVerse through Alina's thoughts and observations.
Character Thoughts:
The characters in this book are well fleshed out and jump off of the page. Alina seems the most accessible as she feels deeply and her thoughts, in my opinion, are so much like my own in some cases. Alina's need to be something more but also something that is steadfast and unchanging is what creates her depth as a character. Her emotions seemed to seep off the page and settle on my bones. I felt everything she did and her pain brought my heart to a standstill
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was an amazing first book in a series. It sets up for the next book quite well and it does a great job of introducing readers to this new and magical world. The writing and the characters worked in bringing the reader into the plot, which in this first book was slower paced. The characters had accessible characteristics which pulled the reader in whilst the writing made reading this book easy. I sped through this and enjoyed every second of it. Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book. I look forward to reading the next one!
Yours in Reading,
Melleny
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