Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Published on: May 7, 2013 by Square Fish
Discover the adventure that started it all and meet Alina, Mal, and the Darkling in Shadow and Bone from #1 bestselling author, Leigh Bardugo.
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.
I’ve come across this book a few times, yet hadn’t got around to reading it. I didn’t think I was missing much. Boy, was I wrong. Shadow and Bone turned out to be a lot more entertaining than I expected. It’s part of the Grishaverse, which is about as popular as Harry Potter or the Twilight novels. The protagonist is Alina Starkov, a mapmaker who lives in the fictional kingdom of Ravka. She’s seventeen and has been working for the Army for about a year. Alina’s childhood best friend, Malyen “Mal” Oretsev, is also in the Army. He’s a tracker rather than a mapmaker.
There’s something that has afflicted the land of Ravka for generations. It’s called the Shadow Fold, a sort of dark magical sea infested with monsters. One day, Alina and her regiment must cross the Fold and get to the other side. They use skiffs for this purpose. Among the crew are several Grisha, the elite members of the Second Army. The Grisha have special powers. Some of them have control over wind, which is how they propel the skiffs. Others have control over fire, which provides light and protection.
Halfway across the Fold, the expedition is attacked by a myriad of Volcra. These are the winged monsters that inhabit the barrier. They overwhelm the regiment, even the Grisha. Mal is injured, and then a Volcra goes after Alina. This is when something unexpected happens. Alina falls unconscious, though, and only wakes up back at camp on the side of the Fold everyone came from. The regiment is uneasy around Alina for some reason.
At this point, a major character is introduced. He’s known as the Darkling, the leader of the Grisha. He interrogates Alina and her regiment about what happened in the Fold. Several of them remember a blinding flash of light. The Darkling then tests Alina, revealing an incredible power she didn’t know she had. This power could mean finally ridding Ravka of the Shadow Fold. As Alina’s become invaluable, the Darkling immediately sends her to Os Alta, the capital of Ravka. Alina won’t be safe anywhere else once people realize what she can do.
My impression of Alina is that she’s righteous though inexperienced. She never dreamed of becoming a Grisha. Young children in Ravka are tested for powers, so it’s a wonder how Alina went undiscovered. Her perception of the Grisha was odd, though. Alina kept remarking how beautiful they all were. She thinks she’s just average looking. Alina has a hard time accepting she’s a Grisha, let alone one of the most powerful. I take this (fortunately) to mean a Grisha’s beauty doesn’t indicate their level of power.
As for the Darkling, he was enigmatic. Alina expected to meet him in person even less than she expected becoming Grisha. The Darkling is the most important person in Ravka, next to the king and queen. He’s in charge of most military affairs, and has full power over the Grisha. The Darkling is also an Etherealki (elemental Grisha). Instead of controlling fire, air, or water, he controls darkness. This is why the Darkling is the only Grisha allowed to wear a black kefta. This is the uniform all Grisha wear. The Darkling tries to grant Alina a black kefta, too. She refuses, not wanting to stand out even more, and requests the regular elemental Grisha color of blue.
The characters aren’t the only compelling part of Shadow and Bone. Ravka is also an intriguing world. It’s a huge nation inspired by Russia. Their language is also Slavic in origin, close to Russian but not actually it. I find the Russian language beautiful, so this made me enjoy the story even more. You don’t see much of Ravka in this book, but it’s only the first one. As for Alina and Mal, they’re good protagonists. The latter is sidelined for a sizable part of the book, though. It’s not a bad thing, as I liked Alina more. She’s determined, resourceful, and ready to do her part to help her country. Shadow and Bone is ultimately a fascinating debut novel. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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