I really wanted to like this book, honestly. The hype around Leigh Bardugo and her books is huge and yet I finished Shadow and Bone, the first in her Grisha Trilogy, underwhelmed by it all. I don’t know what it was either. Her writing is amazing and the concept was original. But for some reason it left me confused and a touch bored. It dragged in the middle often and although her magic system was unique I found it very intricate and blown past too many times leaving me more confused than intrigued, sadly! I even found it sometimes predictable.
One of the most hyped characters to date (in my opinion!) is the Darkling and guys, I really wanted to like him but I just can’t. He seemed to be off-putting rather than mysterious. One minute he would be Alina’s mentor/friend and then all of a sudden he’s evil and acting against her, it just didn’t seem to fit. He just fell flat. He was not irresistible and I definitely didn’t crave for more scenes with him. It was disappointing because I had extremely high hopes from all I’ve heard about him and this series. However, I did like Mal. I’ve heard mixed feelings over him and his character’s choices but for right now I definitely like him more than the Darkling. I’m definitely rooting for her childhood sweetheart rather than this “mysterious bad boy”.
Anyone else notice a very strange likeness to Hogwarts? The main character is shipped off to a school to learn how to use her magical abilities. Put that with the different colours to symbolize the different groups of magic wielders and that’s kind of what I pictured. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that but I just found it a little distracting to read. It also made it a bit of a stop and start reading experience because I found myself only able to read in short bursts. I don’t know if anyone else felt like this but I could NOT keep the colours and their corresponding powers straight. There were way too many details for me to follow! But I’m hoping that as I read more in the series it will be refined and make complete sense. Despite all of that, I really liked the idea of the colours and powers it was just not executed in a way that flowed properly. But I absolutely loved her center plot theme about the Shadow Fold. This intrigued me greatly and it’s still about 85% a mystery so I’m excited for more!!
I really liked Alina (for the most part!) She was a strong and fierce woman who’s had to scrape her way from the very bottom to the top and she holds herself with a confidence that can only be earned. I found her awkward crush on Mal adorable! Her thoughts were so real and honest and to see a girl who can fight without fear stumble and trip over her words about a boy was a cute quirk! Plus, it was totally relatable!
The only downfall with her was her arrogance upon discovering her Grisha powers. She seemed to become helpless and the latest doll for the Grisha to dress up and parade around. She seemed to do nothing at the school and almost all of her fighting instincts were disregarded upon finding a place to belong. It just seemed weirdly done and out of place for her character.
Genya was probably one of the best characters in here! She was absolutely hilarious! A complete riot.
The gist of this review is that you can’t trust a hype and the iconic, “Fine, make me your villain” is a huge dose of brooding without any heat. I know a lot of Bardugo fans will probably be upset but you know what? I’m still beyond excited to read more from her and this Grishaverse that she’s created! I’ve also heard that there may or may not be a cocky captain in the next book, Siege and Storm and he sounds like just my type! SO I’m very excited for more! Stay tuned for this series next review!