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autumn_witch's review
4.0
I like the idea of this anthology. I am glad i read it as I found a new author I will be looking forward to read books of. Witch of Duva was brilliant and the Shadow and Bone is going on my to read list too. I already knew Cinder, but it was nice to read a prolog to this story.
reviewsmayvary's review
4.0
3.5 It was fast and interesting... A little bit The Mist, a little bit Lord of the Flies. A smattering of Zombie Land? Nah, not really.
ravenmoon's review
4.0
I don't even know why I waited so long to read this book when it's been on my kindle for like forever. I do not like Mal and I want Alina and the Darkling to end up together so badly. I can't wait to read the second book.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
eunicealexcy's review
5.0
I CAN'T FREAKING BELIEVE THAT I'M AS GULLIBLE AS ALINA. I SERIOUSLY DIDN'T SEE THE PLOT TWIST COMING. AS FRUSTRATED AS I AM, I'M STILL EXCITED FOR THE NEXT BOOK.
mariel_thecrownedgoddessreads's review
4.0
Las expectativas que tenía de Shadow and Bone han sido alcanzadas. Me han encantado los escenarios, la cultura rusa (con todo y expresiones que tuve que buscar) y la historia en sí. No le di las cinco estrellas porque el medio de la historia (el aprendizaje) estuvo un poco lento, pero el resto ha sido genial. Me ha gustado todo lo que me ha hecho sentir y por supuesto, me ha gustado Mal.
alisoninbookland's review
2.0
I liked it better this time around. Listening to the story really enhanced it. I loved the accents.
sahibooknerd's review
4.0
I read and heard so much about the Grisha trilogy that I decided I had to read these books. Luckily, Shadow and Bone ebook was on sale last week and I didn’t miss the opportunity; finally, finished it today in a single sitting. I just couldn’t put it down. The plot was great, the Grisha powers were quite novel and the characters were amazing.
Alina and Mal have grown up together in an orphanage. She has always secretly been in love with him but he hasn’t realized it yet. When they were tested for magical powers in their childhood, they didn’t show any affiliation; so Mal has become a tracker and Alina is a cartographer for the military. Their life takes a turn when they are ordered to cross the Shadow Fold – the darkness which caused a rift separating the kingdom of Ravka into two; which houses the monsters voltra who show no mercy on anyone trying to cross the darkness. When the skiff they are traveling in is attacked by the voltra, Alina unleashes her unknown power and saves everyone from imminent death. This is where Alina and Mal get separated because she is sent off to the Little Palace, home and training ground of the Grisha. When the Darkling, head of the Grisha, enlightens her that she is the only Sun Summoner in the kingdom and they could together destroy the Shadow Fold, bringing peace to the kingdom – she finally lets herself believe that she has found her destiny. But is everything as it appears? Is she in danger from just the kingdom’s enemies or from within the kingdom itself? Who are her true friends? Will she succeed in fulfilling her destiny?
There is not a whole lot of world building in the book but I really enjoyed reading about the different types of Grisha. Alina starts off as a frail, sickly girl who doesn’t believe she has any powers or special qualities but finally embraces the truth and finds her true happiness that she had been suppressing her whole life. There is a scene in the book when she, for the first time, accepts herself for who she is and it is probably one of the most powerful scenes of a female character I have read in recent times, especially in YA. Her character growth is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what she does next. The Darkling is amazing – that’s all I can say. I kept waiting for more scenes of him, with Alina and I would be ecstatic if there was a book with just the two of them. I didn’t really enjoy Mal’s character, but he is extremely loyal to Alina and that’s enough for me to root for him. I also liked the side characters, especially Genya and Baghra – we can never really tell where their loyalties lie and their motivations remain a little ambiguous. And then ending is just WOW – total badass. I just can’t wait to pick up Siege and Storm and drown myself in the lives of Alina and the Darkling and everyone else.
Alina and Mal have grown up together in an orphanage. She has always secretly been in love with him but he hasn’t realized it yet. When they were tested for magical powers in their childhood, they didn’t show any affiliation; so Mal has become a tracker and Alina is a cartographer for the military. Their life takes a turn when they are ordered to cross the Shadow Fold – the darkness which caused a rift separating the kingdom of Ravka into two; which houses the monsters voltra who show no mercy on anyone trying to cross the darkness. When the skiff they are traveling in is attacked by the voltra, Alina unleashes her unknown power and saves everyone from imminent death. This is where Alina and Mal get separated because she is sent off to the Little Palace, home and training ground of the Grisha. When the Darkling, head of the Grisha, enlightens her that she is the only Sun Summoner in the kingdom and they could together destroy the Shadow Fold, bringing peace to the kingdom – she finally lets herself believe that she has found her destiny. But is everything as it appears? Is she in danger from just the kingdom’s enemies or from within the kingdom itself? Who are her true friends? Will she succeed in fulfilling her destiny?
There is not a whole lot of world building in the book but I really enjoyed reading about the different types of Grisha. Alina starts off as a frail, sickly girl who doesn’t believe she has any powers or special qualities but finally embraces the truth and finds her true happiness that she had been suppressing her whole life. There is a scene in the book when she, for the first time, accepts herself for who she is and it is probably one of the most powerful scenes of a female character I have read in recent times, especially in YA. Her character growth is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what she does next. The Darkling is amazing – that’s all I can say. I kept waiting for more scenes of him, with Alina and I would be ecstatic if there was a book with just the two of them. I didn’t really enjoy Mal’s character, but he is extremely loyal to Alina and that’s enough for me to root for him. I also liked the side characters, especially Genya and Baghra – we can never really tell where their loyalties lie and their motivations remain a little ambiguous. And then ending is just WOW – total badass. I just can’t wait to pick up Siege and Storm and drown myself in the lives of Alina and the Darkling and everyone else.
ameliathorn's review
3.0
A strong three and a half stars for me, I enjoyed it but unfortunately the hype train made me more excited for this which eventually made it a let down for me.
The world building in this is fantastic if sometimes a bit simplistic at times. At one point we’ll have a tonne of information about one place, only to breeze over something else which ends up to have some importance. I found it difficult to get any idea of how big this world is, as the main character seemed to drift from place to place quickly when convenient to the author, only for journeys to take an age when the author wishes it to. But when Bardugo goes into detail, it was really beautiful to read about the world she has carefully crafted.
Admittedly the characters were something I struggled to get on board with, I loved Alina and Genya, but the resultant characters were either incredibly annoying or borderline abusive. Mail in particular coming to mind in how Alina seemed little more than a toy for him, one minute hating her the next being best friends again and so on. Personally I loved the relationship between Genya and David, so it’s dissapointing when I enjoy a side couple more than the main ship.
The world building in this is fantastic if sometimes a bit simplistic at times. At one point we’ll have a tonne of information about one place, only to breeze over something else which ends up to have some importance. I found it difficult to get any idea of how big this world is, as the main character seemed to drift from place to place quickly when convenient to the author, only for journeys to take an age when the author wishes it to. But when Bardugo goes into detail, it was really beautiful to read about the world she has carefully crafted.
Admittedly the characters were something I struggled to get on board with, I loved Alina and Genya, but the resultant characters were either incredibly annoying or borderline abusive. Mail in particular coming to mind in how Alina seemed little more than a toy for him, one minute hating her the next being best friends again and so on. Personally I loved the relationship between Genya and David, so it’s dissapointing when I enjoy a side couple more than the main ship.
shivireads's review
5.0
THAT WAS....WOW. I AM SOLD. LEIGH BARDUGO, YOU HAVE MY HEART. ALSOOO YOU EVER HAVE THAT CHARACTER YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD HATE BUT YOU LOVE THEM? OOOF.
bibliophilebookclub's review
4.0
This is the first book I’ve read by Leigh Bardugo, but definitely not the last. I had this one read in just a couple of sittings as I was absolutely hooked from the outset. The Grisha books are widely known so it had been on my radar for a while and I was delighted to find a copy recently. I’m not gonna summarise the plot or anything; the synopsis is all you need to know. Bloody loved it. These books are probably marketed at teens but I’m not ashamed to say I really enjoyed it and I’m currently waiting (impatiently!!!) for book 2 in the series to come to my local library! Excellent world-building, a great cast of characters and a super fun plot made this one a cracking read.
Highly recommended for sure!
Highly recommended for sure!