Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Series:  The Grisha #1

Publication Date:  June 5, 2012 by Henry Holt and Co.

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.

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My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book.  This book is set in a world similar to Russia, which I thought was very interesting.  In the world there is something called the Shadow Fold, where it splits the land into two separate areas.  The Shadow Fold is a body of water that is haunted by monsters.  The Shadow Fold was developed by the Darkling and he is a Grisha.  Grisha are people that have special abilities.

I really liked the main character Alina and I really enjoyed learning about her special powers of being a Sun Summoner.  I enjoyed watching Aline develop into her role as a Sun Summoner.  Alina and her best friend, Mel are separated when Alina finds out she is a Grisha.  I really liked Mal and Alina’s relationship and I was rooting for them till the end.

One character I HATED and LOVED was the Darkling.  Eww, he made me soo mad!!!  I felt like his character was very well developed. All in all, this was a great book!!  I can’t wait to jump into the second book in the series.

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