by Leigh Bardugo
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Published: 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk, YA
Hardback: 368 pages
Rating: 4.5
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.
The Grisha series:
Shadow and Bone
Siege and Storm
Ruin and Rising
PeekAbook:
My two-bits:
I gobbled this book pretty quick and wondered what took me so long to get around to it.
It is such a wonderful start to this pseudo-russian fantasy trilogy! But, this one can stand on its own as well.
This heroine coming-of-age story has twists and turns that leaves the heroine wondering who is friend and who is foe. I loved watching the main character, Alina, come into her own and find her way through the darkness that threatens her.
Of course, there is touch of romance that works itself into the story that is just the right amount for sweet moments.
Some descriptions for this book says steampunk of which I found just a bit of in regards to gadgetry. Maybe the other two books have more steampunk vibe.
* review copy courtesy of publisher
* movie version is under development
* part of Bookish Bingo challenge
