• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Challenges
  • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Books of Amber

Latest Posts

Debut Author Interview: Amy McCaw, Mina and the Undead

Book Review: The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Book Review: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

19/06/2013      6 Comments

Shadow and Bone by Leigh BardugoShadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha #1
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt
Source: Bought
Add it: Goodreads
Rating: four-stars

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.

Who wants to hear about that time I was in a major reading slump and I couldn’t get out of it? I tried everything, from YA to MG to a Spartacus TV show tie-in, but nothing was working. Then Judith harassed tweeted me once again about how I should be reading Shadow and Bone. Considering I wasn’t getting into the Spartacus book, I decided that I might as well at least try this book that Judith has been going on and on and on about. So I did. And to my amazement, my cursed reading slump was broken. All thanks to Judith and Leigh Bardugo’s fabulous writing.

I feel like I should start off by declaring my love for Alina. She is such an amazing, badass character. There were several times throughout the novel where she gave me goosebumps because of something she said or did. I adored how much she cared for Mal as well. Her character growth was really interesting to watch as she was sucked in by the Grisha and their world. Alina also got to use her powers and it was AMAAAAAZING. If you follow me on Twitter then you probably saw my fangirling.

Mal and Alina made me tear up near the beginning. That pretty much sets the scene for how I felt about them during the rest of the book. Their friendship is the best. You get to see some flashbacks from when they were younger and still in the orphanage, and those also made me cry a bit. Or a lot.

Mal did piss me off in the middle of the book. His attitude stinks, and I am fiercely protective of Alina, so I was mentally shouting at Mal to grow the fuck up. That doesn’t mean I don’t like him, though, because I most definitely do. And he eventually got over his judgy, bitter attitude, although I hope that continues to improve during the second book. Otherwise he can suck it.

As for the Darkling… Well, can we talk about this guy for a minute? *takes a deep breath* I’m trying very hard not to fangirl over him right now. The Darkling is so ridiculously charming and compelling. I felt the draw that a lot of the characters felt towards him coming straight off the page. He radiates it. I’m not sorry to say that I totally ship him with both Alina and Mal. OT3 ftw!

I adored Leigh Bardugo’s writing. I was completely absorbed by it, and by the world that she has created here. I especially enjoyed her use of symbolism when it came to certain spoilery objects, as well as Alina’s scar and how she used symbolism to show Alina becoming engrossed in the Grisha world. I rarely comment on writing techniques when I review books (I save that for the TV fangirling), but this really stood out to me. It’s exactly the kind of stuff I would love to write or read about in the form of meta on Tumblr. Or, failing that, Tatum and I would discuss at length at 3AM and cry over it. Yes, we do that a lot. One time I had her sobbing over my thoughts on Gannicus’ character growth. *coughs*

Shadow and Bone is a really great book. I’m trying to think of something that would improve it, but I’m mostly coming up blank. Maybe a more intense romantic relationship between Mal and Alina, rather than just the BFFs-to-lovers thing. Maybe they’ll have better sexy times in the following books. Or maybe Alina will fall in love with a pirate.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debby says

    19/06/2013 at 7:24 am

    yayyy I’m glad you liked it 🙂 I think, indeed, this is probably one of the best books to get you out of a reading slump. I’m going to have to get around to the sequel soon but urgh time asdfjkl;

    Reply
  2. Judith says

    19/06/2013 at 8:03 am

    You’re welcome. *bows*

    No seriously, I’m sooooooooo happy you liked it. SO HAPPY! *CAPS LOCK HAPPY DANCE*

    And I agree with everything you said: Mal is a bit annoying but SO loveable at the same time! I adore him, though he pisses me off too. (Oh god, in Siege… *spoiler*) Anyway. The Darkling is a BRILLIANT character. For a villain, he damn sure looks a lot like a hero sometimes. Or maybe I’m just into villains like you. I dunno. Either way, fangirling over him is perfectly normal. Alina is pretty freaking badass, and you’re gonna LOVE her in Siege because she’s even better and her character development is incredible.

    “Or maybe Alina will fall in love with a pirate.” asfhusiafdsafewafosdjapwa STURMHOND <333333 Did someone say OT4? Oh right, me. ANYWAY. I can’t even think straight anymore. I’ll just leave it at this.

    Reply
  3. Tatum Turtle says

    19/06/2013 at 2:05 pm

    Or, failing that, Tatum and I would discuss at length at 3AM and cry over it. Yes, we do that a lot. One time I had her sobbing over my thoughts on Gannicus’ character growth. *coughs*

    you’re so embarrassing ohmygod

    Reply
  4. Roxy says

    19/06/2013 at 4:48 pm

    AHHH! I can’t wait to read this one! It’s in my reading pile and I have yet to read it, but I feel like Shadow and Bone is going to be as great as most people say it is. Thanks for the review!(:

    Reply
  5. Danika says

    19/06/2013 at 11:10 pm

    I’m so glad you loved it too! I read it just recently, around the same time as you as well, and I thought it was amazingggg! But rather than getting me into a slump, it sort of put me in one because I am still so enthralled in Ravka and Shadow & Bone that I can’t read anything else. All I want is Siege and Storm! 😛

    Reply
  6. Mel@Thedailyprophecy says

    23/06/2013 at 5:51 pm

    Yeaaaaaaay! Another Shadow & Bone fan 😀 Come join the fanclub. Every time I think about this book I feel happy. It surprised me a lot. And The Darkling, don’t get me started <3

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe via Email

Join 4,577 other subscribers

Current Giveaways

None

Currently Reading

Currently Reading

Upcoming Reviews

    Blogroll

    • All About Books
    • Artsy Musings of a Bibliophile
    • I Should Read That
    • Lisa is Busy Nerding
    • My Friends Are Fiction
    • Recaptains
    • The Daily Prophecy
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

    Hello!

    Hello!

    My name is Amber, I'm 27 years old, and I've been a book blogger, reviewer, and Tuber for ten years. When I'm not reading, I love gaming, exercising, cinema trips, hiking, and exploring.

    Welcome to my blog!

    Subscribe!

    Blog Archive

    Categories

    Follow us on Instagram

    I'm currently rereading Good Girl Bad Blood so I c I'm currently rereading Good Girl Bad Blood so I can recap it in preparation for the final book in the series! I love these books so much.

#books #bookstagram #book #booklover #bookstagrammer #iloveya #yalit #youngadult #agggtm #agoodgirlsguidetomurder #hollyjackson
    I'm currently reading The 100 Year Old Man as part I'm currently reading The 100 Year Old Man as part of Linguathon, and I'm finding myself constantly shocked about how nimble this guy is 😂

🔹️ Have you read this?
🔹️ What are some of your favourite translated books?

#books #bookstagram #book #booklover #bookstagrammer #linguathon #igbooks #booksofig #currentlyreading #reading #translatedbooks #translatedfiction #readathon
    Does anyone remember this series? I started reread Does anyone remember this series? I started rereading it so I can recap it and it hasn't aged well, but you can't deny that Tammara Webber helped kick-start the NA genre 😉 

#books #bookstagram #book #booklover #newadult #romancebooks #bookstagrammer #igbooks #booksofig #booksbooksbooks #bookish #betweenthelines #bookrecap #bookcommunity
    (This book was sent to me by the author as a gift) (This book was sent to me by the author as a gift)

Happy release day to The Effort! I'm so excited to read this apocalyptic story about people coming together to prevent a global crisis. Like I said the other day, I'm really into disaster stories lately 😊

#books #booktube #smallyoutuber #smallyoutubercommunity #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookworm #bookish #debutauthors #21ders #debutbooks #debutshowcase #dac21 #the21ders #reading #igbooks #booksofig #igreads #book
    * ad - book provided by publisher for free in exch * ad - book provided by publisher for free in exchange for an honest review *

I'm smashing through my physical ARCs this week, which means it's almost time for me to read This is Not the Jess Show! I'm excited for this one, if a little cautious about how similar to The Truman Show it's going to be.

#books #booktube #smallyoutuber #smallyoutubercommunity #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookworm #yabooks #bookish #youngadultbooks #booksofig #igreads #currentlyreading #igbooks #bookstagramuk #bookstagrammer
    The first week back at work put me in an unfortuna The first week back at work put me in an unfortunate reading slump, but I'm hoping Hold Back the Stars will get me out of it! I'm going to be reading this one today and hopefully forgetting about real life.

#books #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookworm #bookish #sff #sffbooks #holdbackthestars #bookstoread #currentlyreading #reading #igbooks #booksofig #igreads #bookstagramuk #booksbooksbooks #bookgram
    * ad - book provided by publisher for free in exch * ad - book provided by publisher for free in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely blasted through The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe this week! I was worried I was getting slumpy from too much sff so I switched to a YA thriller and WHEW, it was excellent. 

The Girls I've Been is about a girl called Nora who is the daughter of a con artist (and also bi!). She's living her own life now away from her mother, and then someone tries to rob a bank while she's inside it.

This was so fast paced and I love that it was told in a non linear format. Trigger warnings for lots of things, though. You can find the full list on the author's website but the main one for me was domestic violence.

#books #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookworm #yabooks #thegirlsivebeen #yathrillers #yathriller #thrillerbooks #booktube #smallyoutuber #smallyoutubercommunity #reading
    Because I like to read about other apocalypses dur Because I like to read about other apocalypses during pandemics, apparently.

 I've just started The Lightest Object in the Universe and I'm intrigued! Have you read it?

#books #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookworm #bookstagramuk #currentlyreading #dystopia #dystopianbooks #apocalypse #sff #sffbooks #bookish #booktube #smallbookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks
    *AD - book gifted by publisher in exchange for an *AD - book gifted by publisher in exchange for an honest review* 

Siri, Who Am I? was my final read of 2020 and it was a fun one. While I didn't love how the main character treated others, particularly her attitude towards sex workers, I did like how fast paced this one was and the slight mystery element mixed with Rich People Drama kept me reading. Will I reread it? No. But I enjoyed my time with it well enough.

#books #booktube #smallyoutuber #smallyoutubercommunity #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookworm #bookreview #smallbookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #siriwhoami #romcom #reading
    I'm supposed to be starting The Bear and the Night I'm supposed to be starting The Bear and the Nightingale on Tuesday for my weekly buddy read, but I want to read it now! I should probably finish some of the books I've already started though.

#books #booktube #smallyoutuber #smallyoutubercommunity #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #bookstoread #tbr #tbrpile #toread #readingpile #reading #bookaddict #igbooks #booksofig #igreads #thebearandthenightingale #winternighttrilogy

    Copyright © 2021 ·