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Shadow And Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Sep. 1st, 2013 10:25 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite – the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Leigh Bardugo’s debut YA fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) has a fascinating world inspired by 19th century Tsarist Russia and Alina has a strong first-person voice. However the character relationships are less well defined and key revelations lacked sufficient set-up. I was also disturbed by the importance placed on being beautiful while the inevitable YA love triangle was unconvincing given the lack of interaction between Alina, the Darkling and Mal. Despite this however, the setting and the ending were interesting enough to ensure that I will read the sequel.
SHADOW AND BONE was released in the United Kingdom on 6th June 2013. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite – the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Leigh Bardugo’s debut YA fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) has a fascinating world inspired by 19th century Tsarist Russia and Alina has a strong first-person voice. However the character relationships are less well defined and key revelations lacked sufficient set-up. I was also disturbed by the importance placed on being beautiful while the inevitable YA love triangle was unconvincing given the lack of interaction between Alina, the Darkling and Mal. Despite this however, the setting and the ending were interesting enough to ensure that I will read the sequel.
SHADOW AND BONE was released in the United Kingdom on 6th June 2013. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
