Since the announcement of the upcoming Netflix show Shadow and Bone, many readers, including myself, have discovered and binged all of Leigh Bardugo's books. From the moment I picked up Bardugo's debut novel Shadow and Bone, I couldn't seem to put it down, finishing it within the next 24 hours, then immediately picking up the sequel.
And while I loved the plot, it definitely wasn't why I became so addicted (simple first person hero's journey is not mind-blowing stuff). No, what kept me hooked was Alina Starkov and her stupid nobility, her grand but also jarringly real world, and the lovable (and/or infuriating) people she surrounded herself with.
Alina is the true heart of this book. Sure, she's ignorant enough to be careless in who she trusts, but she's also filled with bravery, a hunger for knowledge, and the right flaws to resonate with the reader. She guides the reader through the story, stumbling here and there as she learns more about her Grisha abilities. She substantially grows throughout Shadow and Bone, learning an independence readers don't often get to see, going from secretly depending on Mal to depending on the Darkling to depending on herself—and only herself.
At the start of the book, Alina is afraid—of the Shadow Fold, of failing at her job, and, most prominently, of her feelings for Mal. Her inability to express any of this creates the premise for strong growth throughout the book as she learns her true power.
She's also just so lovable. Sure, she makes really terrible mistakes, but they're also extremely human mistakes. In this book, she's more Katniss Everdeen than the sequels—not wanting her powers, missing her simple life, shocked at any and all death. She's just trying to survive, not fight a war. There is no strong presence of "Sankta Alina" yet, and while the battles are large, they're much more small-scale than the other books. The only glimpse we get of her future leader self is in the final battle, where Alina sacrifices the lives in the Fold for the greater good.
But this novel is enjoyable beyond its endearing main character. Leigh Bardugo is a phenomenal world builder. Even in this first book of the first Grishaverse series, everything is extremely unique and thought-out, making it easily one of the most mature worlds in all of modern YA.
Many have a problem with none of it being "true" Russian folklore, and while I can't say I know much about the genre, I genuinely don't think sticking to the original culture is necessary. Ravka was inspired by imperialistic Russia—that's all. She's not retelling or claiming any part of Russian stories and history. She did a little research then created something entirely her own. In fact, if it was all taken from Russian folklore, it would be a whole lot less original. Think about it this way: J.R.R. Tolkien took inspiration from European, specifically Old English, folktales, right? But he created an entirely new world, even with some new mythical creatures. While the Grishaverse might not be a classic like Middle Earth, it's still that general idea. People disliking her world for not sticking strongly to the original inspiration just doesn't make much sense.
Ravka is so beautifully crafted, too. While the true world exploration takes place in Six of Crows, every country in the Grishaverse is rich in culture. The imagery throughout, whether that be of the Fold, Lower and Upper Os Alta, or the northern mountains, killed me. Top notch writing that really put the worldbuilding over the edge. My favorite place was by far the Little Palace, which is so thought-out and carefully crafted that the reader can fall into it. The initial description of the grand but also cozy haven never fails to give me chills.
I also think Leigh Bardugo understood the importance of escapism in fantasy when creating Ravka. While most fantasy, sci-fi, and dystopian novels, including this one, have some sort of political commentary, many readers go to books with extravagant alternate worlds as a way of leaving behind this world for a better one, one they get to choose to be part of. Bardugo was unafraid to add fantastical elements—magical stags, expanses of darkness, etc.—to pique the reader's interest and give them something to fall into.
But a novel is more than just its world; a novel is its characters—and Bardugo created some insanely interesting characters for this series, even if their best qualities come out in later novels.
First: the Darkling. I wouldn't exactly call myself a Darkling stan, but I'm not not a Darkling stan, if you know what I mean, and, honestly, I kind of feel like Bardugo did him dirty at the end of Shadow and Bone.
The Darkling is the trilogy's resident Big Bad, which is all well and good—I believe that he could be evil and full of Merzost and want to take over the world. He's just that kind of an ambitious (and psychotic) person. What I can't believe is that he would make a complete 180 and do that stupid, stereotypical bad guy cackle as they fail to foil his evil plan. Bardugo definitely realized this in later books and doubled back, which is good, but having him so flat at the end of the book after being so clearly conflicted earlier in the novel makes it the reader feel like they've been given a rip-off. The Darkling deserved better development than what he got.
A big part of making him act like this, most likely, was that she didn't know if the book would sell enough to continue into a series and wanted a strong, decisive finish, which definitely makes sense, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing to a reader and might even scare a reader away from finishing the series (don't worry, not this reader, I was too obsessed).
Still, the Darkling, for the most part, was a super interesting character to read. He had some great quotes, my favorites being "The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak" and "You and I are going to change the world."
Now one of my favorite characters in this beautiful book: Genya. Can I just say I love Genya? So much. So, so much, even after she betrayed Alina. She is the most hardworking person in this whole series, I swear to god, and that moral ambiguity added when she sided with the Darkling made her a much more realistic and interesting character to read.
And why wouldn't she side with the Darkling? He's the most powerful being of all time, most likely. He has money. He has an army. Most importantly to Genya, he has the power to keep her safe. There are two things driving her to stay on his side: betraying him probably won't get her anywhere but six feet under or worse and believing the King of Ravka does not deserve to be king. With all of her personal problems with the royal family, who have always treated her like an object or a pet, of course she would join the coup most likely to take the throne away from them. Alina is an underdog, and in Genya's life, the underdogs have always lost.
As you can tell, I'm seriously fascinated by Genya's character development, especially in this first novel, where it's clear she has a real attachment to Alina but doesn't have the courage to side with her.
Some characters are a little more upsetting than Genya, though, like Mal. Like many book fans, I was… upset by Mal throughout the series, to put it lightly. In the first book, however, he's not so awful, just annoying (when he's actually there, which is not often).
Early book one, Mal sucks, plain and simple. He's a womanizer. His friends are annoying. He screams Privilege with a capital P, even if he grew up in the same harsh environment Alina did. He just doesn't consider how he affects other people, and it shows—not only with Alina's narrative, but also looking at his behavior in an objective way. The things he says—objectifying multiple women—and the way he behaves—letting his friends turn women, especially Grisha women, into a prize—are extremely hurtful to the people around him, and he never exactly apologizes for it all.
Mal stans would argue he did apologize when he told Alina he was a stupid idiot for not noticing her before, which, fair—that wasn't even a half-bad apology. That's not where I take issue (if I'm being honest, I kinda liked him there, even if it was a little "I've fought too hard to lose you," which still puts himself as the only important person in the narrative). I take issue when he doesn't apologize or even fully realize how wrong his actions were to women besides Alina. It's almost like a "boys will be boys" moment, which I hate. Mal only recognizes how terribly he treated Alina rather than recognize how terribly he treated all women, and as we should all know, only respecting the women you're attracted to is not respecting women.
I also don't think I've ever forgiven him for the way he treated Alina at the Little Palace. I understand she hurt him, intentional or not, but he'd hurt her, too. She didn't think he wrote any letters; she didn't think he cared about her; but she still welcomed him, still cried with joy when she saw him. He doesn't get to walk into the Little Palace, watch one performance, then tell her she's been changed, even branded. It's not fair to assume he knows what it was like for her because of a show for the entire court! For all he knew, she could have been miserable at the Little Palace and had to smile for the crowd. And so what if she's happy without him? How could he possibly have the audacity to practically forget about her in the camp and then bitterly scold her for moving on?
He just. Ugh. Most of this book (when he's actually there) he's okay, but sometimes Mal really stomps on my last nerve.
One side character I absolutely adore is Fedyor. He kills me. Reading this book, I completely ate up all of his scenes then wished for more—which is surprising, considering he only has a few lines. Props to Leigh Bardugo for creating such a shockingly likeable and memorable side character.
The Little Palace drama is always fun, too. Baghra is an icon that deserves all the love in the world, and Botkin makes me laugh. The strange high school dynamic between Nadia, Marie, and Sergei interests me every time.
Overall, Shadow and Bone is an outstanding debut in an extremely well-developed world. I could not put it down for a single second then immediately picked up the sequel, not wanting to let go of Alina's life just yet. If you want to try some YA high fantasy but don't know where to start (genre icons like Cassandra Clare and Holly black have an overwhelming amount of books), lose yourself in the Grishaverse—hopefully before the Netflix original series (which I am so, so, so, excited for) releases on April 23. Until next time, keep reading, readers.