Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo • contains 308 pages • published June 5, 2012 by Indigo, Orion Publishing Group • classified as Fantasy, Young Adult • obtained through Bought • read as paperback • shelve on Goodreads • shelve on The StoryGraph
Synopsis:
The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom's magical elite – the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina's childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can't she ever quite forget him?
Russian-inspired with Caveats
The best part of Shadow and Bone was the setting. I loved that it was Russian-inspired, which lent the book a fair bit of intrigue for me. When it comes to fantasy, the more imaginative the setting, the better. It offers a lot to work with in terms of world building and invites readers into a new realm.
Sadly, as much as Russian influences were indeed evident, they were inconsistent. When examining the terminology, it becomes evident that the “foreign” words weren’t always Russian but made-up terms. That threw me off a fair bit because while I recognized some of the words and their meanings, I was dumbfounded as to what some of the made-up words were even supposed to refer to. Take kefta. It bothered me that I couldn’t figure out what it was. Turns out, it was a wordplay on kaftan.
That’s why I wish a glossary of some sort would’ve been included to offer readers more clarity since a Russian dictionary alone doesn’t suffice.
Mediocre Execution
All in all, Shadow and Bone was alright. No denying, there were interesting developments throughout the book. Trouble is, the connections lacked finesse. The plot points were so haphazardly connected, there were a lot underdeveloped fillers that made reading feel rather disjointed.
It didn’t help that the writing didn’t impress me. The pacing was off too. Some moments needed more space to breathe and even worse, some moments made me stumble along as I read because they were so awkward. In terms of characterisation, the depth was lacking.
Premature Publication
Shadow and Bone would have benefitted from more editing. It is rough around the edges and is so formulaic at its core, it needs further development, or a stronger world building. Adding more complexity to the characters would’ve improved the book a lot more as well.
Despite all my gripes, I enjoyed Shadow and Bone. I liked being transported to a world so different from my own, where good and evil is also very much ambiguous.
So harsh, Jo, hahaha XD
I freaking adore this book, and it’s one of my all time favourites. I read it *just* before I started blogging, though, so I’m a bit scared that if I went back and read it again I might not love it as much as I did originally. Blogging has opened the world of reading so far beyond what I knew before blogging – if that makes any sense at all.
I fell out of love with each progressing book, though. RUIN & RISING was only three stars for me, which is very disappointing considering how much I loved S&B.
If you do continue with the series, I hope you like the following books! They’re probably worth reading if only to meet Sturmhond ;)
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I wasn’t in love with Shadow & Bone either! I did like the setting though but like you, was also a little thrown off by the inconsistencies. I guess the biggest part for me was how confused I was at the beginning. I didn’t feel that Leigh Bardugo explained everything in enough detail because there were things that took me so long to figure out. Like the different capes and how the Shadow Fold came about (I think that’s what it was called?). And while I didn’t give much thought to Mal or Alina, the Darkling did give me pause. But mostly because he just wasn’t as evil as I thought he would be? I’m probably the only one who thinks this (perhaps because I have a secret deeply hidden psychopathic streak in me that makes me tend to relate to villains?) but I honestly thought all his actions made sense. But anyway, as far as villains go, I’ve definitely read much worse.
So yeah, I have to say I agree with you about this book. There was definitely room for improvement but still interested in reading Siege & Storm! It sounds quite promising!
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Yes, the Shadowfold. There was a half-hearted attempt at explaining it but I wasn’t satisfied. And I agree! The Darkling wasn’t as mysterious as I thought he would be. Everyone told me he’d be this irresistible evil. I can’t say I share those sentiments. Haha. But yeah, I’m still curious about Siege & Storm too.
It’s such a pity that the execution was poor. I actually wanted to read this one at first, but now I guess I’ll just read other books first. Happy reading! :)
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The execution wasn’t that bad. It just needed a lot more polishing. Though I know a lot of people who didn’t have that problem and loved it. If you’re undecided about reading Shadow and Bone, 1-star and 5-star reviews might give you a clearer sense if you would enjoy it or not. Haha.