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.
I had low expectations for this series, but ended up being pleasantly surprised! Alina is a mapmaker for the King's army, and her childhood best friend Mal is a scout with unusual abilities. They grew up together in an orphanage, where they were both evaluated for powers by the Grisha when they were young. Since (it appeared) neither had Grisha abilities (such as the ability to control the wind, or fire, or heal/hurt people's bodies), the King's army was the most logical place for them to end up.
When the story begins, the army is preparing to go through the Unsea, a dark place caused by the mistake of a powerful Grisha of the past that is infested with terrible creatures that kill nearly everyone they encounter. When Mal's life is threatened on the trip, Alina discovers a power that no one, including her, knew she had. Alina is suddenly a very popular girl.
The rest of the story follows Alina as she is taken into the Grisha population and learns how to use her powers. There's a lot of political intrigue, and she also must navigate getting to know the Darkling, the powerful leader of the Grisha who is particularly interested in what she can do.
The story has Russian influences, but isn't a straight retelling of any particular piece of Russian folklore. I found it very engaging, and jumped right into the second book of the series -- something I haven't done in a long time.
