Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

So this book has been sitting on my iBooks shelf since last year, so when I decided which ebook I should read next I chose wisely. I had previously joined in to participate reading Shadow & Bone for one of my Goodreads book clubs. But I had unfortunately missed out on the chance to read it during the running time, as I had other books I was currently reading at that time and busy with uni. So as you can tell by now I chose Shadow & Bone as my next read and it did not disappoint!

Alina grew up in an orphanage with her only best friends Mal, now many years later they are serving in the army and are in the final preparations of crossing The Shadow Fold. It's an dark and deadly mass that covers the whole of what once was a great nation, Ravka, but is now succumbed by this dark matter which keeps hidden the monsters, who were once men and women alike, that live in the shadows waiting for any traveller to pass to make its deadly move. To cross the Shadow Fold the army uses powerful Grisha, people who are worshipped because of the gifts they acquire, such as healing, air, fire, and many other skilful assets. Alina and her fellow comrades become outnumbered by the many monsters that are attacking them in the dark, lives are taken, but some saved, with Alina's quick thinking she saves Mal with his appointment with death. It is only when Alina wakes up from what appears to be a blackout that she gets informed of her newfound power which she can hardly digest. With news of this great power emerging one of the greatest Grisha's, The Darkling, orders that she must be sent to the palace before people come looking for her, especially for all the wrong reasons. Alina must now decide what is best for her future, whether that includes her best friend Mal, or the mysterious and dazzling Darkling.

I must admit I thought I wasn't going to like this book at all, the beginning was very slow which made it hard to get into, but the more I read the more I enjoyed it and became hooked! It's also a genre that I've never really read before, so I'm glad I started the hi-fantasy taste with Shadow & Bone. This is definitely a genre I'm going to be returning to in the near future and I'm excited with carrying on with the rest of this series.

Alina couldn't bare to think that she had this great power bestowed upon her, the fact that she grew up in an orphanage meant that she had created this mindset that she was just an abandoned child that nobody wanted. But that is clearly untrue considering how many characters who thought she was more than that and meant everything to them, especially Mal. Alina definitely spent a lot of time worrying about her conflicting emotions, especially about her desires over the men in her life and deciding who meant the most to her. But other than the usual YA conflict Alina was a very strong heroine during Shadow & Bone, never giving up hope or on any of her missions for that matter, never looking back.

Mal was a very difficult character to read, as you're never really sure of his true intentions towards Alina, his best friend or someone who could become more than just friends. The one quality I liked about Mal is that he's a very loyal character, and selfless for that matter, he always puts everyone else before himself.

The Darkling on the other hand was very mischievous and you never really know where you stand with him or what his intentions are. I was actually shocked by some of the twists and turns towards the latter half of the book, I was seriously not expecting things to turn out like that.

If your interested in reading this book series, which sadly ends later this month with the third and final book, then definitely give it a go!

I gave this book a four out of five star rating because of the slow pace at the beginning and I also felt that something else was missing that could of really kicked it up a notch.

****

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You can get Shadow & Bone online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy which I purchased for 99p from iBooks.