Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1) (Grishaverse, #1)

by Leigh Bardugo

[pamela]

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Shadow and Bone. Was it an easy read? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it? Sure. Was I excited to pick it up and keep reading? Meh. Leigh Bardugo is undoubtedly a good writer, but there was just something that felt derivative in the whole reading experience.

Bardugo's Shadow and Bone Trilogy is meant to be set in a Tzarist Russia type world, which is where it failed its first test. Sure, there were some vaguely Russian-sounding names and words in it, but the world didn't feel even vaguely inspired by Russia. It just felt like generic fantasy-land with no depth and nothing unique to set it apart. Even the characters were nothing but a bunch of tropes thrown into a melting pot.

✅ The attractive male best friend that the protagonist is secretly in love with?
✅ A plain protagonist (who is actually pretty) whose main flaw is being clumsy?
✅ Broody, dark man for an obligatory love triangle?
✅ Pretty best friend?
✅ Beautiful mean girl?

The pacing of Shadow and Bone was excellent though. It moved everything along just as it should, even if the plot was a bit bland at times. Where this book really shone though was Alina's anti-hero moment. I liked this play on the hero trope, which I wish had been explored much more thoroughly. I think Bardugo's talents would have been served better had she not written this series as YA. I think it could have been explored a lot better as a High Fantasy series.

I'm going to keep going with the trilogy, as there was enough there to pique my interest, and it's an effortless read. If that's what you're looking for, it's worth picking up. If what you're looking for is a pleasant, weekend read, you could certainly do worse.