Review: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Published: June 5th 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
Page Count: Hardcover, 358
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.
When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.
Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future. - Good Reads

This book started out and I was rolling my eyes. That's to be expected: there are A LOT of mistakes made regarding Russian culture and it honestly did bother me (Again! Her "inspiration" research reminded me a lot of...ahem, Richelle Mead!). Besides the lack of the a at the end of Starikov that would imply she was female and not a male... one of the male characters had a feminine surname. But I think what bothered me the most is how the author represented kvas. Which, by the way, is not a hard alcoholic drink that burns going down. Though my husband and I have been having fun pretending it is every time we drink some since reading this book. That was good for some laughs. 

Putting all of that aside though, which I was able to, I really started to enjoy the book. The world was fascinating and it really caught me. I found Grisha to be interesting, even though that is the name of my 3 year old brother in-law. 

The romance! It was GOOD! I was in loooove! And then Leigh Bardugo pulled a fast one. And I mean... a fast one! I was left with my mouth open and wondering where the hell THAT came from. I know I'm being cryptic here as I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I was sadly left disappointed in how the romantic development twisted towards the end of the book. Though I can't bring myself to believe that'll be the end of it and I want to see what happens, so I will definitely be awaiting the next book! With no patience. 

                                                           3 out of 5 Stars!