Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo
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Web ID: 11772995Good Book
Loved this book. The story is easy to follow and I liked the characters.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The best
I got this book in store and I swear I've been through it like 5 times. It's THAT good.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Don't Get the Hype
I am literally bereft, annoyed, betrayed, and upset. I was really loving this book. So much so that before I even reached 50%, I purchased the other two in the trilogy and now all I can think is what a waste of money! I am beyond disappointed. I feel as though this has been a tremendous bait and switch. Perhaps I am simply done with YA fantasy and taking it out on Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Perhaps I expected more after reading Six of Crows (though now I’m worried about how the second in the duology will end considering this.) But this was a story so absolutely contrived and following the basic YA fantasy formula to a T that I feel a fool for being bamboozled for the first 74% of the novel. For the first three quarters, I was surprised that I loved it as much as I did. I thought wow, a strong heroine. Yes, she moons over boring boy, but still. And then she realizes that she had been suppressing her true, grisha nature over this boy and begins to grow confident. She became her own person and decided to try all of these new things and new people. And then, the last quarter was a complete devolution. The book goes and falls into cookie cutter YA fantasy formula with the girl needing rescuing, boy coming back, and the most syrupy saccharine revelation of them all mercy is the reason i actually have all this power. mercy is the same as taking someone’s life essence/power. Clearly, neither understand politics and power. I am giving this two stars because the first 74% was pretty good and had me hopeful. Unfortunately, the end of the book was such a tremendous let-down, I cannot bear to give it anything higher. Will not continue the series and cannot in good faith recommend Shadow and Bone.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Sart
Really strong first book in this trilogy. I think that Alina is a pretty likable main character. She has her flaws, but I don't think that they were enough to make me not like her as much as I do. I think her journey with her training was fun to read. Mal's character was a breath of fresh air when it comes to love interests in YA novels. He's just the right amount of protective where it doesn't come off as territorial, there was no hint of overt jealousy during parts of the story, and throughout the book, it felt like he genuinely cared for Alina's safety and well-being. He's just *mwah* chef's kiss. The overall plot was good and really drew me in, to the point where I didn't want to put the book down. Can't wait to read the second book!
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Lots of potential but lacking a bit for now
3.5 stars. It look me about a third of the book to get comfortable with all the new terms but I really enjoyed the introduction to this world. The writing style is easy and light and Leigh Bardugo's pacing into the Grisha world was great. The biggest thing that stuck out to me was just that the plot seemed a little too predictable. It's a very typical YA book (even with the characters, though I do like most of them) and it was just lacking that surprise twist. With that being said, I did enjoy reading this and I'm looking forward to see what happens in book 2 and 3. This book was light and entertaining, but I'm hoping there will be more complexity!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great start to the series
Loved the beginning of this series. Full of action and suspense. Lauren Fortgang does an excellent job with the narration. Really made you feel a part of the story. Looking forward to the next book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Worldbuilding, Boring Characters
I read this book quickly because I kind of wanted to get it over with. It's not really "bad", per-se, but it did not live up to the hype, in my opinion. The first couple chapters and the last couple chapters are really the most exciting of this book. The worldbuilding was excellent - I love medieval Europe-inspired fantasy worlds, but this one based on Russia was so fun to learn about; the language, the countries, customs, and a mix of medieval and modern (weapons, customs). Definitely a fun world. But the characters fell flat for me. None of them were particularly interesting. To compare to my favorite debut series that isn't really well written - Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce feels pretty rushed, and somewhat juvenile, but I loved the characters and the world; I rooted for them. The characters in Shadow and Bone just weren't my favorite. I purchased this book about a year ago, and read it in preperation for the show. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Would probably still recommend though, depending on the person.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Must-Read for all Ages
This series is so addictive! The universe that Bardugo creates, the Grishaverse, is so unique and was really fun to be immersed in. I highly recommend this for people of all ages! It's truly excellent.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com