Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Bought
First book in The Grisha series
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.


Review
This was impossible to put down. It was almost addicting. I loved it from page one. I hit about halfway in two hours before I forced myself to put it down so I didn't read it one sitting. I can see why this is such a popular book and I can't wait to see where story goes!

I loved Alina. She was an amazing character. I loved how she went from being unimportant to being one of the most important people in the world. I liked no matter how excited she was for her new life she never forgot about her past. I thought her magic was the coolest thing ever! I loved that she wanted to use it for good and didn't want to be taken advantage of. Surprisingly enough I actually really liked Darkling. He was hot stuff. Even when he wasn't the nicest person ever, I still liked him. I'm excited to read more about him. My feelings for Mal are a little mixed. I liked him but I felt like we didn't really get the chance to really know him. Him and Alina were still pretty cute even though there wasn't a lot of cute moments. I do hope we get to learn more about Mal in future books.

This had such an exciting storyline. The world this author created was so unlike anything I've ever read. The magic was awesome. I loved the darkness aspect. There was tons of suspense and action. The characters were amazingly well done. And the setting was very cool. This had everything a amazing book needs. The plot was very fast paced. There was a fair share of twists. Everything was just so well done. This was a very well written book. Overall this was a fantastic read. I already want to reread it. I can't wait for the sequel. I will be waiting very impatiently. If you haven't read this one I highly recommend.