SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo

SHADOW AND BONE has a lot going for it and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to young adults in the mood for a story with an romantic setting, magic, and an intelligent female lead.
Alina is the principle character, although you could also say that this book is also about Mal, her childhood friend. The prologue introduces them as orphans whose families were killed when the war overran their villages, and establishes a Russian-esque country where gold domes dazzle, where tea is served from samovars, and where the peasants are poor and ignorant.

We are introduced to the pair as children, but the story soon hustles us along and we find them on the boarder of the dark zone, preparing to attempt a crossing to the coastline. At this point Alina nor Mal are unimportant figures. Mal is just a tracker and Alina is just a cartographer's assistant... until they enter the dark zone––the desolate light-barren realm where horrible flesh eating creatures thrive.

The troops had prayed to go through the zone unnoticed, but something goes horribly wrong and the feeding frenzy begins. The magic welders fight but they are just overwhelmed by the sheer number of monsters; and everyone would have perished except for Alina. For despite the childhood testing, it turns out that she does have magic. A very particular and rare form. And it's upon this, and the endless political desires of others, that the plot turns.

LIKES
-- Leigh Bardugo's use of language is admirable.
--I liked the tension between the characters.
--I really like magic classes and how the magic was generally handled.
--I really liked the secondary characters. Even those that I 'didn't like', if you know what I mean.

NOT CRaZy ABOUTS

--I was all ready to praise this book up one-side and down another until the last big plot twist. It was so hackneyed that a wave of disappointed flowed over me. After that I knew exactly what would happen. Who they would meet up with, and who they wouldn't. And honestly, it made me loose most of my interest in this series.

WHO SHOULD READ IT?

I'd recommend Shadow and Bone to Young Adults and Teens looking for a new book in the magic genre.

Adults...My advice to you is to put your name on the long list at the library and be patient. Shadow and Bone is an enjoyable read, but not a particularly memorable one.

No language.
No real violence.
No 'adult content' except for one kissing scene which almost gets out of hand.

Books to consider first:

• The Girl of Fire and Thorns
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Not for younger readers because of language and sexual content)

Pam T
Somewhere in the X-burbs


SHADOW AND BONE
by Leigh Bardugo

Reading Information:
Word Count: 81,215
Page Count: 368 pages
Accelerated Reading level: 5.3 / points: 12.0
AR quiz: 151863
--sample pages available
-- 1st 5 chapters available in Kindle format