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 fulfil 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.
Initial thoughts:Eh. That's the first description that comes to mind. Interjections count! It's just that as much as I loved the setting, the writing didn't impress me. The pacing wasn't as strong as I thought it could've been. The plot points were strung up well but the connections lacked finesse. In terms of characterisation, the depth was lacking and just overall I thought the book was okay. I wish a glossary of some sort would've been included because while Russian-inspired, the "foreign" words weren't always Russian but made-up terms. That made reading rather cumbersome as well.
