Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Received: From publisher for review


Summary:
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:
Nothing gets me more excited than picking up a fantasy novel and diving right in. I love completely immersing myself in a whole new world. One that I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams. So I was super excited to read Leigh Bardugo's debut Shadow and Bone.

I'm not going to lie, the very beginning of Shadow and Bone was slow, and slightly confusing. But it wasn't a big deal because after a while it all fell back into place.

The Grisha were very interesting. The whole group was shrouded in mystery, and while we got a taste of what they are like in this book, I cannot wait to find out even more in the next book.

Leigh Bardugo was very good at getting me distracted so I would focus on one thing while a whole new thing was unfolding right under my nose. She was very good at showing instead of telling and I really appreciated that.

The Darkling was very appealing to me. I loved learning more about him and he totally surprised me again and again. I also liked Mal. When he first arrived I felt like he popped out of nowhere but I like the way it was revealed that he was woven into the story. Leigh was very good at making most of the characters vital to the plot rather than just statues in the plot.

Overall I would recommend this book to lovers of fantasy as well as people who are looking to get into fantasy, just beware of the very beginning!

Also here is the beautiful trailer: