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. 

- Add to GoodReads
- Follow Leigh Bardugo on Twitter
- Visit Leigh Bardugo's blog

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

Thoughts:

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

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 rest on her shoulders...

Leigh Bardugo has done an exceptional job with the world building. 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 - dark and twisted, but also charming when he wants to be. Although some may view him as a love interest to me he was the villain. The guy who truly stole my heart was Mal...

The romance is breathtakingly beautiful, and the friendship between Alina and Mal -that came before the romance- was wonderfully crafted and had me wishing for a Mal of my own. He was by no means a perfect character - he had flaws, he made mistakes, but that is what made me fall for him.

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

Rating:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

GoodReads Summary: In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

- Add to GoodReads
- Follow Kimberly Derting on Twitter
- Visit the author's website

Thoughts: 
 
The Pledge is a captivating story with dynamic characters and a plot that will leave your heart racing!

What if you lived in a world where people are divided into different classes? One class superior over the other, each using a language the other doesn't understand. What if you lived in a world where if you're caught looking directly at a person speaking in another language you're in danger of being prosecuted. This is the world in which Charlie lives in. This is Ludania...

Kimberly Derting has done a fantastic job with the world building. Ludania is a country with strict rules and a cruel Queen. A country that is on the brick of war, a place where the citizens are never truly safe. The world Derting has created captured my attention right from the beginning of the book. In Ludania females consider themselves superior than men and I loved this change of role. It's definitely refreshing from the usual male ruled stories. 

I adored Charlie. She is stubborn, determined and willing to stand up for the ones she loves. These on their own are great characteristics to find in a female lead, but what got to me the most was her kindness. At one point in the story she saves someone who probably didn't deserve to be saved and she worries for her well being - I really admired Charlie for this.  I also loved her relationship with her sister Angelica. The bond between the two sisters was sweet and I was in awe at how far Charlie was willing to go to protect her sister and keep her safe.

The romance between Max and Charlie was sweet and I can see why Charlie felt a pull towards him. Mysterious? CHECK. Talk, dark and handsome? CHECK. I can't wait to see where their relationship goes in book 2!

Rating: