Title: Shadow and Bone

Series: The Grisha Trilogy #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: YA, Suspense, Fantasy

Format: Hardcover, 358 pages

Publication Date: June 5, 2012

Published by: Henry Holt and Company, Simon and Schuster Canada

Rating: 5/5 

Goodreads Synopsis:

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 lonely 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.

My Thoughts:

I didn't really know what to expect when I opened this book, the cover was gorgeous and I had heard so many good things on Twitter about it, but still, I was hesitant at reading it. I am always reluctant to give into the hype of a book, because I hate to not like it when so many others love it. But in this instance, I'm glad that didn't happen. I absolutely loved this book. 

It contained every element that I love in a novel, suspense, romance, beautiful writing and the element of surprise. Like many others I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. Not only is the protagonist a strong and independant female, but she also has a very distinct voice that travels throughout the entire book. At times I did find the names to be distracting because they were Russian and a lit hard to pronounce, but once you get into the heart of the book, the names seem to disappear and all you care about are the characters. 

The romance. I have to talk about the romance. It was extremely well developed and not over written. I felt that the emotions were real on every level and I even caught myself falling for the one guy along with the main character. The romance was real and believable and I can't wait to see how it develops in the second book. 

The imagination that went into this extravagant world building was amazing. It was unlike anything I have read in a long time, there were elements of Dystopia with a sprinkling of Lord of the Rings. It was quite fantastic. I would recommend this book to everyone that loves a good suspenseful  read, and loves magical worlds and a good solid romance that tears at your heartstrings.