Shadow And Bone - Leigh Bardugo

The nation of Ravka is split in half by the Shadow Fold, a space swallowed in darkness and home to ravenous monsters called “volcra.” But, the key to destroying the Fold, and rehabilitating Ravka’s strength, lies in Alina Starkove. Alina is a skinny, weak map-maker whose dormant powers literally come to light when she’s attacked by the volcra. Now, Alina is deemed the “Sun Summoner,” a very powerful Grisha who can harness light, and she’s inducted into the Darkling’s service where she will train to destroy the Shadow Fold with her new ability. 

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“if people were really praying to the Sun Summoner, not if they were expecting me to save them. I remembered the Darkling’s dire words beneath the broken roof of the barn. The age of Grisha power is coming to an end. I thought of the volcra, of the lives being lost on the Shadow Fold. A divided Ravka won’t survive the new age. I wasn’t just failing the Darkling or Baghra or myself. I was failing all of Ravka.

Originally, I read Leigh Bardugo's Six Of Crows before Shadow and Bone, her debut novel and first in the Grishaverse trilogy. I adore the world the author created but I do feel it was better explored in the Six Of Crows duology.

Shadow and Bone started out strong. A lot happens in a small amount of time, then it abruptly stops once Alina gets to the Ravken King and Queen's castle. A large portion felt repetitive, except for the beginning and ending. Similar events are described often without further expanding the narrative: Alina has difficulty wielding her power, her practice sessions were difficult, and she is insecure. Personally, I wanted the descriptions to elaborate more on important points that made up the book's main focus. For example, the tense relationship between Alina and the Darkling, Alina’s history with her friend Mal, and a more visible struggle to hone her powers. Since Shadow and Bone is the first in a trilogy, it would've been nice for these elements to have a stronger base.

In contrast, the narrative contains sparks of enjoyable, intriguing ideas. Such as the Grisha, who have magic rooted in science rather than just mystical powers. In the book, Alina explains "What looked like magic was really the Grisha manipulating matter at its most fundamental levels...Odinakovost connected Grisha to the world, but it was etovost that gave them an affinity for something like air, or blood, or in my case, light." The Grisha wear certain colors as symbols of what ability they possess as well: "Like all Grisha, the Etherealki indicated their designation within their order by color of embroidery: pale blue for Tidemakers, red for Inferni, and silver for Squallers."

"Using our power makes us stronger. It feeds us instead of consuming us. Most Grisha live long lives...The length of a Grisha’s life is proportional to his or her power. The greater the power, the longer the life. And when that power is amplified …"

As for characters, Alina is the unassuming “chosen one” that becomes a celebrity among Ravken civilians. She struggles with believing in herself and fears she is losing her childhood friend Mal. We don’t see much of Mal in Shadow and Bone. Instead Alina explains how they grew up together and formed a deep bond, which later turns into a “friends to lovers” romance. Again, there was not much description about their childhood friendship and what made them close. Really, we are only told Alina and Mal lived in the same orphanage. Moreover, the Darkling's development is well incorporated throughout the narrative. His complexities and enigmatic character is shown in various situations in the book, and his history and wants are clear cut by the end. The Darkling is cool, collected, intimidating, and "the second most powerful man in Ravka." He's also a manipulative villain who wants to use Alina’s power for himself. He is practically immortal and has one major goal of dominating Ravka and its neighboring nations.

"Other countries don’t treat their Grisha so well as Ravka,” he said grimly. “The Fjerdans burn us as witches, and the Kerch sell us as slaves. The Shu Han carve us up seeking the source of our power. What else?”

All in all, the author has strong ideas that has created fans of many readers. This is Leigh Bardugo's debut novel, so the writing isn't as strong as her later book Six Of Crows, but this shows her growth as an author (which is what any writer should strive for). Still, there are gold nuggets of ideas within Shadow and Bone that set up a unique world.