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Shadow and Bone | January 16, 2013

by Leigh Bardugo ( Henry Holt and Co./Macmillan children's Publishing Jun. 2012)

Leigh Bardugo transports her readers into the world of Ravka and the hard life of Alina Stakov in her the first book in the Grisha Series, Shadow and Bone. Alina and her best friend Mal Oretsev are orphans in the home of a Duke. They have been together for most of their lives, and in a land that is ravaged by flesh eating creatures, that counts for a lot. They are enlisted in the First Army of Ravka, Alina as a mapmaker and Mal as a tracker, and Alina lives in constant fear of what may happen next.

Alina has always been the skinny and weak girl that never belonged anywhere, until the day that her regiment is attacked. Mal is brutally injured while coming to her rescue, and out of fear Alina reveals a power, dormant in her, that protects them both. Once word spreads of her powers, Alina is separated from Mal and taken to the Royal Court to train with the Grisha, under the control of the Darkling. Upon entering the Court, Alina soon finds it is a place of many secrets. As the darkness and danger rises, Alina begins to think her new power may just be the answer to saving Ravka.

Alina proves to be a strong protagonist, with strengths that even she is unaware of, and has the brains and determination to uncover the secrets within Grisha. Bardugo has created an extremely visual world that is rich with Russian culture, and the quality of the story allows for the readers to immerse themselves in this world as Alina struggles to uncover the truth.

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