Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Alina Starkov grew up an orphan with only one real friend, another orphan named Mal. Now they serve together in the King’s Army, Alina as a mapmaker and Mal as a tracker. Alina has never really thought that she was much of anything, but when her regiment is attacked by a brutal flock of volcra while crossing the dangerous Shadow Fold and Mal is injured, she somehow reveals a dormant ability—one that marks her as Grisha, a group of people with seemingly magical abilities led by the secretive and enigmatic Darkling. Alina is convinced that there has been some sort of mistake. She can’t be a Grisha—she’s just an ordinary girl, a mapmaker in the army, and not even a good one at that. But whether Alina wants it or not, she is now hopelessly caught up in the lavish world of the Grisha, in its petty squabbles and in its more sinister mysteries. Alina struggles to hone her power, with the hopes of the Darkling and all of nation of Ravka resting heavily on her shoulders, only hoping that she’ll be ready to face the dark intrigues threatening to claim her heart or her life.

Shadow & Bone is an incredible debut that introduces readers to an addicting new fantasy world, that of the Grisha. Bardugo’s image of the Grisha world is a seductive one, where an ability to manipulate the elements such as metal or air elevates you to an elite class and where the second most powerful man in the country is directly descended from the most evil Grisha ever known. Readers will have a difficult time not getting sucked into the lavish world of the Grisha along with Alina, especially because of Bardugo’s lush descriptions and brilliant plot. I’ve actually already read Shadow & Bone twice now, and I can honestly say that the story was just as gripping the second time around as it was the first. I attribute this to a combination of skilled writing, smart plotting, vivid characters, and the dark sexiness of the entire story. Shadow & Bone is without a doubt a pageturner of a fantasy, full of sinister charm and dark romance sure to satisfy every reader and leave them gasping for more.

Shadow & Bone should be snatched up by all dark fantasy fans, especially readers who also liked Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, and the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

Rating: 5.0

Review copy from publisher Macmillan