Amber Fierce Book Reviews
SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo
Disclosure: I will be posting my book reviews on my social media platforms, as well as Amazon and Google. This will be done for each book I review.
The Umbrella Review:
Firstly; I could not put this book down! The book is based in a dystopian fantasy universe, and the pace of the book was in my personal opinion perfect for me.
I was at first hesitant to begin the trilogy due to fantasy books usually having a slow, gradual, and almost boring beginning. (That was when I was trying to force myself through one of the first additions of JRR Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings).
I am someone who loves a fast pace domino-reeling-rollercoaster of events that don't stop. No breathers, ever. Those kinds of books are exciting to me. Maybe a little embarrassed to admit that reading the book gave me a dopamine hit, ha ha.
Second; I enjoyed the mind bender. Here is what I mean by that. In the story there are different factions of people and it is difficult to tell who is lying and who is telling the truth. I feel like that takes a great deal of talent. For example; when I read James Patterson's murder mysteries, in a few chapters I can deduce who the murderer was. That is probably also due to James Patterson using the first person perspective from each significant character in his books. Alternatively Shadow and Bone is told in a first person perspective solely from the protagonist. Thus we know only what she knows and are confused when she is confused.
SPOILER ALERT......SPOILER ALERT......SPOILER ALERT......SPOILER ALERT
The In Depth Review:
The book was well done. I was impressed with the structure and if you happen to be a writer (author) reading this book could help you figure out how to say (write) narrative differently. That's in the case that each time you read a sentence of yours it sounds awkward no matter how you've been writing it ha ha.
CHARACTERS
Alina: Name meaning light and/or noble
Alina is the main protagonist of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and here are my thoughts on her. In the beginning of the book we meet her as a cartographer. She enjoyed drawing maps and that was her way of contributing to the military service in Poliznaya. There, as the book describes, she was scrawny and snappy. When she was found out to be an important Grisha magic user, she was taken to a palace where the Grisha faction resided. There she unlocked her magic and began to gain an appropriate body weight (for her), her hair was becoming glossy, and the bags under her eyes were vanishing. Thus, because she was no longer using her energy to restrict her magic, she was able to be a more real version of herself. I feel like her character is going to develop from being sickly, snappy and petty to being confident, standing up for herself, and she is going to grow into her new identity and heritage that she has been introduced to in this first book.
Malyen (Mal): Name meaning disciple of St. Columba
Mal is the main love interest of Alina. He seems to be care free in the beginning of the novel. He also seems oblivious to Alina's feelings towards him and will go be with other girls, and will ask Alina for advice in those matters. It was a bit frustrating to read that part. Once Alina was taken to join the Grisha faction, that seemed to flip a switch for Mal. It made me a bit sad to see that, that was when she was most noticed was when she was absent. Mal did change throughout the course of the first novel. His carefree spirit was crushed and he and Alina did eventually get back to each other, but I believe his demeanor hardened. That was due to losing his two friends in action when he was asked to track down the white stag. I am hoping his character will develop differently. So far he has been protective and honorable when faced with death, otherwise he has seemed a bit cold and aggressive towards Alina for using her magic and that started to bother me, so I am hoping they both will be able to let go of the reins in regards to her abilities soon.
Genya: Name meaning maiden/ virginial/ pure
Genya was an interesting character to me. She was assigned to Alina when she first arrived at the Grisha palace. Since her magic was mostly aesthetic she wasn't given any specific rank in the Grisha faction. She was able to make people's faces have more lift and colour as if they had applied make up. Throughout the story Genya has a few hiccups in the consistency of her character, but for the most part she stays the same. When she becomes remorseful over what happened between Mal and Alina, she still sounds like herself in the dialogue with a different emotion. I think that was well done too.
The Darkling:
In the beginning of the novel I was a bit thrown off by the darkling. He seemed defensive, aggressive, and assertive. I'm sure some smut readers would really enjoy his essence. He was a mysterious character in the book, and he seemed to disappear often, during long periods of time. However Alina's curiosity got the better of her and she fell for his charming mysterious character. I expect him to be a problem throughout the rest of the trilogy.
SCENERY
Throughout the first book, I actually had not seen the map. The description of The Fold or Unsea made me believe that it was much bigger. I was surprised to see it had only taken up 3/4th of the continent and there were ways to get around it. Going North or South on the map was easier to follow along and see where the search for the white stag was taking place. When the white stag was found, the description of the environment around the herd was gorgeous and well directed. I'm sure what my mind envisioned would be different from another person but both equally beautiful feelings towards an environment in a book.
CONCLUSION
This was a wonderful introduction and first novel to the trilogy and I am very excited to start book two. Well done!
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