Jaime's Review of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy)

Leigh Bardugo

Hardcover: 368 pages

Release Date: June 5, 2012

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan)

ISBN: 0805094598

Source: ARC from the publisher

Rating: Obsessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Goodreads. 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.

How can I start a review when all I want to do is say OMFG I loved this book read it the minute it comes out?!?!? Well….. *gathering thoughts* *breathing* here goes J

This book was fantastic! It is beautifully written and sucks you in at page one. Leigh has created a world alive with Russian culture blended with fantasy and has delivered a masterpiece! I literally loved everything about this book I mean everything! I loved Alina, and her clumsiness with her inner strength and fierce love and protectiveness over the people she cares about. I loved the Darkling, as bad guys go it didn’t matter to me how truly evil he was; I found myself falling for him with every touch and every smile. I loved Genya the beautiful Grisha servant that has some pretty awesome powers I wouldn’t mind having myself. And last but not least I loved Mal who’s friendship was true and by the end had fully captured my heart! Oh and there was one character the Apparat who reminded me of Rasputin!

Aside from the characters the story was beautiful and the court intrigue was delicious! What I loved was the Royals played only a small part in the story and the Grisha stood in the foreground. Again peeps I loved this book go buy it when it comes out!!!!!!!

Trying to find a passage for this was super hard there were so many good ones! But I chose one between the Darkling and Alina because *sighs* yes he’s bad but he’s so damned hard to hate.

He studied me for a long moment, and I wished fervently that I’d kept my mouth shut. But then that half smile flickered across his face. “You may have a point.”

A little fear ebbed out of me.

“Why do you do that?” he asked suddenly.

“Do what?”

He reached out and took hold of my hand. I felt that wonderful sense of surety rush through me. “Rub your thumb across your palm.”

“Oh,” I laughed nervously. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it. “Just another old habit.”

He turned my hand over and examined it in the dim light of the hallway. He dragged his thumb over the pale scar that ran across my palm. A shivery hum shot through me.

“Where did you get this?” He asked.

“I…Keramzin.”

“Where you grew up?”

“Yes.”

“The tracker is an orphan, too?”

I drew in a sharp breath. Was mind reading another one of his powers? But then I remembered that Mal had given testimony in the Grisha tent.

“Yes,” I said.

“Is he any good?”

“What?” I was feeling it hard to concentrate. The Darkling’s thumb was still moving back and forth, tracing the length of the scar on my palm.

“At tracking. Is he any good at it?”

Lol ok enough for now if you want to find out Alina’s answer you’ll have to read Shadow and Bone! So make sure to add it to your Goodreads shelves.

Oh and did I mention there’s a trailer? Check it out!

Buy your copy today!