Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

GoodReads Summary: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near-impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one unlikely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life– a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha...and the secrets of her heart. 

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Expected publication date: 17/05/12 (UK)

A dark and delicious debut with action, suspense and romance!

The story. Alina and her best friend Mal grew up together in an orphan, and now serve the King's Army - Alina as a mapmaker and Mal as a tracker. Alina never really thought she was much of anything, but then one day while on a mission to the Shadow Fold her regiment is attacked by the fearsome Volcra and Mal is injured. She somehow manages to save his life and discovers that she is actually a Grisha -a group of people with seemingly magical abilities that are led by the Darkling, a "creature of seductive charm and terrifying power"- Alina is in denial, she can’t be a Grisha, she’s just an ordinary girl. But whether Alina wants it or not, she finds herself caught in the sinister and lavish world of the Grisha where she must learn to hone her powers and soon as the hopes of the nation of Ravka rests on her shoulders...

World building. Leigh Bardugo has done an exceptional job with the world building in Shadow and Bone. The descriptions were so rich and beautiful that I felt as if I were there with Alina on her dark and dangerous journey.

The Darkling. Twisted is how I would describe him but also charming when he wants to be. Although some may view him as a love interest, to me, he was the villain. 

Romance. The romance was breathtakingly beautiful, even more so for the fact that Alina and Mal were childhood friends. Mal was by no means a perfect character. He had flaws, he made mistakes, but that is what made him so easy to root for.

Final thoughts. Shadow and Bone has quickly made it to my favourites shelf and even now, weeks after reading it, I find myself thinking about it.

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