Book Review - Shadow and Bone
Labels:
book review,
fantasy,
leigh bardugo,
review,
shadow and bone,
young adult
·
 |
| Cover art courtesy of Barnes and Noble |
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Version I Read: Paperback
Rating: 3.75/5
Shadow and Bone was one of those books I picked up on a whim while I was in a YA mood, and I found it to be much better than many of its brethren.
Shadow and Bone, the first novel in the Grisha trilogy, tells the story of Alina Starkov, a teenage girl who grew up an orphan. With her through it all was another orphan named Mal, whom she has always loved but never had the courage to tell. They live in the country of Ravka, which has been cut in two and devastated by a strange dark wasteland where monsters dwell, created by a rogue Grisha (magic user) hundreds of years ago. On a trip through the Fold, the convoy is attacked, and Alina discovers powers she never knew she had that change her life forever.
Here there be spoilers.
One aspect that I really liked about this novel is Alina’s relationship with her power. I know that sounds kind of odd, but because of her background as an orphan, she has spent her whole life feeling like nothing belonged to her. So when she discovers that she has this great power inside her, she rejoices because it is hers and hers alone. This makes the Darkling’s betrayal and attempt to control the one thing that is hers hurt all the more. It’s also interesting that she subconsciously suppressed it for so long so she could remain with Mal and not have to become Grisha. While we’ve seen characters hide who they truly are for the sake of fitting in before learning it’s better to be true to yourself many, many times in fiction, I think that theme felt right at home here.
I like the characters, too. Alina, while not the most unusual YA protagonist (first person, spunky heroine with special magical powers in love with a childhood friend), manages to be a relatable, sympathetic character audiences can root for. Mal seems to have some more layers to him, even though we only really get to see that in the last third of the book or so. The Darkling steals the show in how seductive he is, and when the book teetered on the edge of making him a flat-out megalomaniac trying to take over the world, I cringed a little, because this character is so much more than that. I hope future installments make him more gray/ambiguous and less pure black, because that is one of the best aspects of his character.
The biggest flaw of the book is that the sections where Alina is in the Little Palace drag, but fortunately the book picks up again by the end. I also feel Alina’s about-face of opinion in regards to the Darkling based only on what Baghra says happened a bit too quickly. I could also have used a bit more depth to this world, as I feel the worldbuilding was a bit simplistic. (In the book's defense, however, the focus is more on Alina's relationship with the Darkling. And I always appreciate more unusual settings in fiction, and a world inspired by Imperial Russia certainly fits the bill.) Actually, if anything, this book could have been longer, with more character development and more worldbuilding. The magic system was also relatively weak as not much time was given to explaining it or how it worked.
Verdict: Shadow and Bone is a good YA fantasy novel with a good focus on the psychological connection between the protagonist and the antagonist. Weak world building and magic system.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment