Goodreads Synopsis:
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy
My Thoughts:
This is the third book I’ve read by Bardugo. Her world building is so thorough that it can take a few chapters to understand. Once you understand the world, the books are amazing. Since Alina didn’t initially know about her powers, the reader is learning about the Grisha world along with her. There are so many twists and ambiguous characters and situations, that I couldn’t stop reading. I am especially fascinated by the Darkling and can’t wait to see how the character develops throughout the series.
You Might like this book if books….
on the edge of YA and adult
with complex, original, magical worlds
where characters discover hidden powers
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