I have finally got around to fully jumping into the Grishaverse (correctly this time). This is a book series that I have been meaning to get to it since it’s been out and with King of Scars coming out I have finally made the plunge. With the plunge being at least a six book commitment (if things go well) with the Shadow & Bone Trilogy and Six of Crows books. **I have read Six of Crows once before and really liked it so I have high hopes in restarting this world and am excited to restart from the very beginning.
The Grishaverse begins with Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, which follows Alina Starkov, who is serving as a cartographer in the Second Army of Ravka. The story begins with a mission into The Fold (a darkness that has settled in the middle of Ravka) that goes terribly wrong and reveals that Alina has a power that has been dormant for years. This reveal whisks Alina to the royal courts and into the courtyards of the Grisha.
Non -Spoiler Review
- I really enjoyed this story and the setting was done well and it pulls you right in. At first, the world was hard to understand and picture clearly but it does a great job explaining the world without too much info dumping (although at times the explanation happens in random bursts).
- The magic system in this world is done very well and is complex in nature making it a solid world to build upon.
- The writing was also complex but it was obvious that the book targets a younger audience, as the narrative is done in first person and Alina is very much written to be young, and native. This book is great if you are aware of this fact because if you are not, you will probably not like Alina at all.
- This book is one that could be done without any romance and served as a gathering the reins of this world and this series, I think the romance could have been saved for the next two books. With that being said the romance is not the strongest aspect but I did enjoy parts of it.
- I enjoyed the pacing of the book, it had enough going on that it didn’t get boring but it was slow enough that it was able to introduce this series and world without rushing it.
Mild-Spoiler Review
- The Darkling was my favorite thing about this book. He really made this book interesting, brought it to life and gave it this huge complexity to debate over: what makes someone evil? Although I didn’t like how it was revealed that he was the villain of this story.
- One plus is that Leigh’s writing is so quotable. She does great one liners and quotes that get stuck in your head, i.e. “Fine, make me your villain.” I am still not over that one, it was very powerful and perfect in the moment.
- Alina on the other hands is a mixed bag, at least with the Darkling you know what you’re getting, she changes her mind very abruptly and solely based on emotion which is forgivable because I just kept reminding myself she is native. She has a strong sense of judging people, which is not my favorite and she was very stubborn once she makes up her mind about people. I honestly don’t know what to think about her. On one hand she was written like on purpose and on the other she is just blah. But since this is in first person it was easy to tune out my dislikes of her character and just focus on the other characters and parts of the story.
- Another character that I am very indifferent on is Mal. I do like his sense of loyalty and pride, but I don’t like cold and oblivious he can be. A plus is that he is a great tracker and that skill does a great job servicing the plot line.
- I really loved the school like setting within the Grisha palace, and the writing did a great job setting up the tensions and mood of the other Grisha toward each other, the Darkling and Alina. The magic was also done so well and I really loved all aspects of that part.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the writing is beautiful because it strikes a balance between lightness and heaviness and is aware of what the story is. Making this a wonderful start to a huge complex world that now carries three series. And even if it wasn’t the best book ever, I very much enjoyed my time reading it and gave it four stars.
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