Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

What book to film adaptations are your favorites?

I received Shadow and Bone for my birthday and read it this week so that I would be ready for the new Netflix series.  I thought it was a movie and was pleasantly surprised to see it is a series.  I can’t wait to watch it!

Shadow and Bone is a fantasy Young Adult novel and is the first in a trilogy.  Alina Starkov is an orphan along with her friend Mal.  She is a mapmaker while he is a tracker.  While they are passing through the Shadow Fold, a darkness filled with monsters, they are attacked. Alina saves the day with a power that she didn’t know that she had.  The mysterious Darkling comes and takes her away for training as a Grishna, a magical soldier of sorts.  As Alina tries to navigate her new world, she wonders what is her purpose and where is Mal?

I though this world was absorbing, and I really liked the story.  It was a unique fantasy world and plot.  Bardugo borrows from Russian themes and sets this in a far north type of world.  It is a coming-of-age story for Alina and also features a love triangle as well.  There is a lot of angst, but I enjoyed it as a light fantasy romance.  I really liked the dark ending.  I’ve ordered the next two books and can’t wait to see what happens next!

Favorite Quotes:

“We all did our part to bring about the end of the world.”

Overall, Shadow and Bone is a great fantasy novel with an interesting world. 

Book Source:  Birthday gift from my best friend Jen!