SHADOW AND BONE (B PB) : THE GRISHA BOOK 1

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Dazzling, Dark, and Unforgettable Start to the Grishaverse! Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is a spectacular debut that completely hooked me from the very first page. If you are looking for a high-fantasy YA novel with impeccable world-building, thrilling twists, and characters that get under your skin, this is it. The World & Atmosphere Bardugo transports you to Ravka, a nation inspired by tsarist Russia, split in two by the "Shadow Fold"—a terrifying, pitch-black swath of land crawling with monsters. The atmosphere is thick with suspense and magic, and the imagery of a sandskiff sailing across a sea of sand instead of water is absolutely vivid. It’s a unique, refreshing take on fantasy. Characters and Development We follow Alina Starkov, a relatable, underestimated mapmaker who discovers she has a rare, world-altering power. Seeing her transition from a scared orphan to a strong, powerful Grisha (a magical elite) is incredibly rewarding. The star, however, is the complex, morally grey Darkling. He is arguably one of the most charismatic and intriguing villains in recent YA literature. The chemistry between him and Alina is electrifying, rooted in power, desire, and secrets that keep you questioning their motivations until the very end. The Plot The pacing is fast, filled with betrayal, political intrigue, and breathtaking twists. It perfectly balances the "chosen one" trope with genuine, high-stakes emotion. Even if you think you know where a YA story is going, Shadow and Bone delivers shocks that I truly did not see coming. Final Thoughts This book is a masterclass in fantasy storytelling and a fantastic introduction to the Grishaverse. It is dark, romantic, and beautifully written. I was so captivated, I finished it in one sitting! A must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure. Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars

Super happy that I finally picked it up in January. I buddy-read Shadow and Bone along with Faguni from @fannatality . I am happy to say that although we decided to read it at the rate of 3 chapters per day, we ultimately rushed through and finished the book way before the estimated end date. I really loved reading this book and Faguni and I are back with the schedule for buddy-reading Siege and Storm (the sequel to Shadow and Bone) this February. The plot was amazing firstly, and kept me hooked on until the very end. The Darkling who although does not really appear in the first few chapters, is mentioned, enough times in these, for us readers to create a mental image on him and oh my! I’m not sure if I should expound upon that here. Alina also displayed an innate goodness of character, with her innocence and determination to stay strong. Her relationships with all the people around her, especially Zoya is quite interesting to note. Speaking of Zoya, she is another figure, intriguing and with great depth. All of the characters, with their various back stories are truly amazing to read about. However, having read the Six of Crows duology before this book, I do know roughly how this might turn up but nonetheless I am excited for the sequel. Moreover, I also noted that Leigh Bardugo’s writing has greatly improved in the duology, without saying that it is not good in this trilogy. The magic system is also well-explained in this one, considering that this one revolves around that itself. The themes on magic, fantasy, friendship and kinship, along with love, physicality etc. are also quite well proportioned throughout. This world itself is amazing and I am in utter love! Lastly, I ship Alina and Darkling, don’t you? (please note that I have only read Shadow and Bone, so NO SPOILERS!!!)

Shadow and Bone is an exciting YA fantasy with a rich world and compelling magic system. Alina’s journey from ordinary to powerful Sun Summoner kept me hooked, and the mix of adventure, romance, and political intrigue made it a memorable read. I loved the characters and the twisty plot — a great start to the Grishaverse trilogy!

"Shadow and Bone" is an enthralling fantasy novel that takes readers on a journey through the mystical land of Ravka, a place where darkness rules and magic is both feared and revered. The story centers around Alina Starkov, an orphaned girl who discovers she possesses a rare and powerful magic that could save Ravka from the darkness that threatens to consume it. Bardugo's writing is captivating, and she paints a vivid picture of the world of Ravka, its people, and its politics. The characters are well-developed, and their motivations and actions are compelling. Alina's journey from an ordinary orphan to a powerful Grisha (a person with magical abilities) is engrossing and heartwarming. One of the book's strengths is its world-building. The world of Ravka is richly detailed, and Bardugo has created a complex mythology that adds depth to the story. The political intrigue and power struggles within Ravka add another layer of complexity to the story, making it a fascinating read. "Shadow and Bone" is an excellent book that will appeal to fans of the fantasy genre. Bardugo has created a world and characters that will keep readers engaged from beginning to end. If you're looking for a thrilling and magical adventure, "Shadow and Bone" is the book for you.

Quality is good but the price was high

Received the book in a premium quality , all the pages and cover itself in the best condition and even the pages are in a very premium quality and not even a single page is having any type of damage or a sign that its a pirated book , definitely go for this one without any hesitation

I had been on a reading slump for a while now and something was to be done to get out of it. I am grateful that the release of the Netflix series was something that helped me with it. The Grishaverse was on my TBR for a really very long time and the series just made it easier. Leigh Bardugo’s style of writing keeps the reader interested in the plot. Although at times the terminologies for Grisha got a little confusing (maybe it’s just me), but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I had a great time reading it. Unpopular opinion - I loved the Darkling🤪 Plot -⭐️⭐️⭐️ Writing style - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fav characters - Darkling and Genya Rating -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bye now! It’s time to watch the show.

It was amazing first book, gave brilliant introduction to #Grishverse world and characters, about power and greed, social and class difference, war between countries, friendship, love, deceptions, evil vs good, and belongingness. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙: ☀️Writing was enthralling, mesmerising, vivid and fast paced. ☀️it was kind of introductory book to series, we get more world building and we know what characters are and how their life changed. ☀️Loved Alina after change in her with new found power and control after training. ☀️Darkling was amazing and truly wicked character. He was mysterious and there was more to him as story progressed. ☀️enjoyed reading all secondary characters. ☀️Mal's lost letter at the end of the book as bonus material helped in understanding his feelings more. ☀️Love triangle was written in good way. I didn't hate it here. ☀️friends-to-lover trope ☀️World was best part of the book. ☀️My most favourite scene- when Alina realised what was blocking her power and why she couldn’t eat and sleep and how she summoned her power for the first time; when Mal and Alina found the stag; and last part of the book. Overall, #ShadowandBone was fast paced, engrossing fantasy with mesmerising world, amazing plot and characters. It was great first book of the series. I could see why fantasy readers love #LeighBardugo. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 #𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬- https://booksteacupnreviews.com/2021/03/06/bookreview-shadow-and-bone-the-shadow-and-bone-trilogy-1-by-leigh-bardugo-shadowandbone-lbardugo-squarefishbooks-engrossing-fantasy-with-mesmerising-world-amazing-plot-and-characters/

A edição de colecionador vem em capa dura com ilustrações lindíssimas na capa e mesmo no interior. O livro é tudo o que esperava! Mal posso esperar pelas próximas edições de colecionador dos restantes livros da trilogia.

I bought this book a while ago and ended up buying the whole series. It’s brilliant story telling and extremely well written. You get drawn in wright from the first pages, wanting to know more about what will happen with Alina and Mal and how is the story going to twist their life. And believe me, it does! I re-read the whole series recently and it’s still as good. If you like skillfully weaved fantasy tales, you won’t be disappointed with Bardugo’s work.

Een boek met een erg goede verhaallijn. Het heeft allerlei elementen van een fantasy boek maar ondertussen ook een roman. Verder zaten er ook plottwist in het verhaal, wat het erg fijn maakte om dit boek te lezen. Ben daarom zeker van plan om de andere delen van deze boekenserie ook te kopen!

Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide Once again I find myself singing the praises of high fantasy! I’d seen tons of praise for this book pretty much everywhere and after seeing Leigh Bardugo at Anderson’s Bookshop first on the Fierce Reads tour in June and again at Anderson’s on August 30th (although I actually finished the book before then!), just seeing her personality and hearing her talk about the book and how she came up with it really drove me to get into the story. I absolutely loved the development of the Grisha and the story behind their history and abilities. It seemed utterly magical but as we learn more about the talents, there’s a little bit of practicality mixed in as well. It was really interesting to learn about and I found it quite unique. Another thing I really enjoyed is that the romance aspect isn’t overdone. We first learn that Alina has developed a crush on Mal in the very beginning of the book, so that’s something we already know, but since Mal is also her best friend and pretty much only friend, that also makes him so much more to Alina. He’s incredibly important to her and it’s not just a lust factor. As for The Darkling….. well that’s just a pure lust situation! So yes, I really loved where the story went and I loved how it all came together in the end! Leigh Bardugo’s writing was also extremely enjoyable and I loved the new elements that she brought to the story. Characters-- Alina: I didn’t find myself like Alina so much as I could understand her. As an orphan, Alina grew up alone. She’s stubborn, she’s protective, she’s independent; it’s not like I’d want her for my friend but I admire her courage and determination to make the best of herself and the situation she came from. It did get a bit tiresome at first once Alina was figuring out her abilities and once she became part of the Grisha society that she spent most of her time trying not to be noticed and pining for Mal. But then the more I thought about it, the more it made perfect sense. If you’re a person who’s not used to attention, it’s overwhelming when people are constantly praising you, following you around, and giving you special treatment. As a poor orphan, Alina never experienced anything like that before. Even though her ability is extraordinary, it’s now something that has put her in an uncomfortable spotlight and ripped her away from her only family – Mal. The Darkling: **Mild spoiler alert in The Darkling section (it’s not really a spoiler, but if you want to be kept totally in the dark, skip this part!)** He’s mysterious, he’s sexy, he’s…. old? We find out that due to the nature of The Darkling’s power, it severely enlongates his life. He reveals to Alina that he’s well over 100 years old so um, thanks but no thanks? It’s kind of a Twilight situation here (which somehow I was totally okay with in Twilight but not okay with in Shadow and Bone – I don’t know – don’t ask me why). I can understand he looks sexy and he acts sexy, but.. but.. he’s an old man? So yeah, he totally just didn’t appeal to me after I heard that! Had the age not been a factor, we’d have a little bit of a swoon situation going on. After knowing that? Yipes. ---- Re-read review: This was quite the interesting re-read for me… I think this was the first re-read in which I had two totally different expectations going into it: When I first picked up SHADOW AND BONE almost two years ago (!!!), I was not a fantasy reader. I think I had read Graceling first and that was about it, so I wasn’t expecting much in the way of a new fantasy book and it turned out that I loved it! I was really scared going into the re-read this time because I had since fallen in love with this series and was afraid that the re-read just wouldn’t be the same. Honestly, I did read the book entirely differently. Well, in two ways — I bought the audiobook from Audible because I’ve started to really enjoy doing my re-reads via audiobook and also because I been obsessing over the series for two years now and all of the THINGS that I know, I’m able to pick up on so much more with a re-read. I must say, re-reading SHADOW AND BONE really proved to me how amazing SIEGE AND STORM was. As someone who wasn’t a fantasy reader before, I very much appreciated the whole revelation of having powers, learning how to use them in that almost boarding school-type setting, and the romances involved but reading all of these things a second time and especially after reading SIEGE AND STORM came across totally differently. Honestly, TOTALLY. For one, I already knew Alina had powers and exactly what they entailed, so I wasn’t as interested in the figuring out process so much as paying attention to the other details that I may have glossed over in my first read. The whole learning process actually wasn’t as appealing to me the second time around, I think because I really already knew how it happened so I was ready to dive into more character development of secondary characters which didn’t happen as much in the first book as it does in the second. SHADOW AND BONE is very much about Alina and about Mal and about their ties to the Grisha so my impatience didn’t exactly pay off haha. But of course, it was still enjoyable to go through that experience again! I read the romance aspect of this book entirely differently the second time around. During my first read, I did not get what was the big deal about Mal. I liked him and I loved his friendship with Alina but I didn’t fall for him (or the Darkling, really, but that’s another story) the way other readers did. During my re-read. YEAH. MAL. I’M THERE. I really got to know him better in SIEGE AND STORM so that made my connection in this re-read stronger but WHOO BOY, that best friend romance thing going on there…. *fans self* How was I not more into this during my first read!? I don’t understand. Because best friends falling for each other is a trope that I luuuurve and I was totally on board with it during my re-read. I also felt less love-triangley about the Darkling because knowing what I know now, it seemed more like a power play than a romance and I had it in my head that way more happened than it actually did in the book. Since I already knew about the world-building side of the book, I did pay more attention to the romance this time around which hadn’t really seemed to play a big part for me during my original read. Speaking of world building, that was something I really enjoyed even more. The more I read about this world, the more I fall in love with it. It’s always a little difficult to get a grasp on a new world with unique (and foreign) names so now that I know a little more about the Grishaverse, I really got a hold on what happens where and exactly what’s involved. As far as plotting and characters go, obviously now I know their connections, but even then I was formulating new theories about the Darkling and why we don’t know his name yet and what if it’s related to or connected to characters we’ve already met and don’t know it?! I think I enjoyed my original read a little bit more than the re-read but I am even MORE anxious to re-read SIEGE AND STORM and I’m still salivating over RUIN AND RISING and dreaming about how it’s SO CLOSE. I’m still in love with this world and this series and it will be bittersweet to end in June but I still can’t wait!

Leigh Bardugo has fast become one of my favourite authors. Shadow and Bone drew me in from page one with incredible worldbuilding, deep characterisation, and exciting action. I couldn't stop reading and devoured this story in two days (which says something since I'm usually an incredibly slow reader). This is one of those books that makes you feel like you're living the story, experiencing all the feels! And there are plenty of those when it comes to the protagonist, Alina, and the handsome, ruthless Darkling. Alina goes through such a journey, falling in love, facing heartbreak, finding the fierce courage and power within herself to survive. And the best part is the twist that comes midway. I was shook. This plot is just so compelling and awesome. I'd recommend Shadow and Bone to anyone who enjoys rich fantasy worlds, very dark magic, court intrigue, complicated romance, and strong female protagonists. Sensitive readers or parents shopping for their kids might like to know there is a passionate kissing scene and one very violent death which is meant to shock for plot/characterisation purposes. But all in all, this book is AMAZING, and since stepping into the Grishaverse I'm hooked!