Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone is an enrapturing fantasy that follows Alina Starkov's journey as she discovers hidden talents inside of her. It is filled with plot twists and surprises that will be sure to keep you on your toes. Shadow and Bone is filled with heartbreak and love and is a great read for anyone trying to get into reading! It is exciting to add that a Netflix show series based on this series will be coming out later this year as well.

Though it dragged at times and there were tropes galore, the first book of the Grisha trilogy was full of interesting characters, a rich fantasy world and some good twists and turns. I may have to check out the rest of the series.

I really loved this book in general. I loved the characters and watching Alina grow as a Grisha. There are twists and turns that surprise you and it was definitely really enjoyable. However I do have one complaint, and that is when Alina somehow magically gets control of her power and when Alina magically can fight the control of the stag collar. Like all of a sudden she can do this??? I think when Alina could control her power I think it had to do with letting Mal go and forgetting him or was it just realizing she had pushed it down all this time? And when she got control of herself was it just because how badly she wanted to save Mal??? It got me kinda confused but sense it's such a good book and the adventures they had were so well written I let it go but I'm still confused.

Fantasy that takes place in a Russia-like place, where have I seen this before? Surprised me, though, that it was pretty good. The world is interesting and I want to read more of the series.

Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone is a very well-written fantasy novel following Alina Starkov, a soldier who is discovered to have a rare type of magic that could save her country and the countries beyond from the darkness of something called the Shadow Fold. She goes to court and trains with the magical elite of her world, the Grisha, in order to master her powers and save her world alongside a man named the Darkling. With a couple of shocking plot twists incorporated seamlessly into the storyline, this book keeps the reader turning page after page until the book comes to a close. The worldbuilding in this novel is excellent, modeled after imperial Russia, and the way that the author approached magic in her book was unlike what I have ever seen before. I was disappointed that Alina’s friend, Mal, did not have a very large role until the end of the book, as he is a very likeable character. The official age rating for this book is 12+, and I believe that is fitting.

I don't have much negativity to say about this book.

Honestly.... It was solid!

Mal is that sexy bff that is oblivious to the shy girl and is the classic "you don't know what you have till it's gone" kind of fellow. I called his character profile in the beginning. He's the playboy, but ultimately chasing after the wrong booty (if you will).

Mal definantly made the story, even though he was only in 2/4ths of it. That's what the book needed, more Mal.

The only thing that got to me was how stupid and whiny Alina was! Like seriously. She tries and tries and all she does is complain.
Then things go her way and she complains about that.
THEN she is surprised when a man that literally, L.I.T.E.R.A.L.L.Y calls himself the dark turns out to be....

Wait for it.....

..... Yup you called it....

EVIL, VILE, SINISTER.... DARK.

I mean come on, it's not his fault you fell for it. Dudes with that much power don't just randomly kiss you at non-romantic times. Like, he just got done insulting you infront of others.
They do however kiss you and then ignore you for the next week... Just saying. The signs were there.

Other than that it was a terrific book. It was exciting and interesting and well, it was a rather good story, that literally was so enthralling that I read it in 7 hours.

There is something about Leigh Bardugo’s writing that is so completely captivating and beautiful, but then it shifts within a paragraph to approachable and hilarious, and one of my favourite things about reading her books is how completely immersed I am in her world. I love the world building she does in this first Grishaverse book; she introduces everything, somehow, without it ever feeling unnatural or out of place. We learn about the orders of Grisha and their colours and their powers and even why their powers exist at all, but it’s never a lecture, and I’m just so impressed by her ability to fit it all in 350 pages.

I love the Darkling with my whole heart. He is the embodiment of the dark, complex, villainous character that I literally always fall for in every book, movie, and TV show ever, and again, from the first moment we meet him, I was just absolutely done. Cooked. All over for me. The scene after the Grisha demonstration is one that has stuck with me since my first read but that still made me yell the second time around. MY DARK ANGEL BABE DESERVES LOVE.

So, clearly, I’m an Alarkling shipper until my dying day, but I also enjoyed Mal more this time around too. He can be frustrating, yes, but I felt the genuine connection between him and Alina more than I did before. He’s...dare I say it...not bad for her. *gasp*

And Alina. My heart of gold, sarcastic, headstrong, sassy Sun Summoner. What more is there to say really?

This series truly has it all. The undercurrent of romance ties together a story full of magic and intrigue and action and twists all over the place. Despite remembering a lot of details, there were also lots that I didn’t, and I gasped out loud at a few different points. For a book to take me by surprise on a second reading, it has to be good. And let me tell you, this is absolutely top-notch YA fantasy. An all time favourite.

It was interesting enough and I will continue the series but it is a very typical YA novel. It was easy to predict what would happen next. The book does have an intriguing premise; come for the magic stay for the romance.

I finished this book within two or three days. I literally could not put it down. The author makes the whole tale so captivating, you just HAVE to keep reading to find out what happens. More often than not, I found myself loving the Darkling more than any other character, because of his interesting back story and mysterious element. I was rooting for he and Alina, but I knew it was too good to be true.
I don’t have many complaints about this book, the only one being that it was cliche in parts and kind of predictable, which made it “eh”, but everything else was perfect. A definite recommend for teens and young adults, as the more “racey” parts are not even bad. Nothing happens. I’m half way through the next book already - can’t wait to leave the next review!

My kind of fantasy although a little "typical" for this genre. There is a dark element, a possible love connection and a power waiting to be unleashed. Nothing really new for Teen Fiction, but I still couldn't put it down. Shows what good writing can do. Will highly recommend to my fellow Teen Fantasy readers especially those that enjoy Marie Lu or Kristen Cashore.