Sometimes a book/series/author becomes familiar, blending in with the rest of the information we learn to temper. Like when Twilight suddenly exploded onto everything and millions of tweens lost their pubescent minds. A lot of older people did the internal cringe--you know what I'm talking about. It's a lot like grade school cooties. They may or may not be real, but you don't want to be the one to find out. (ha! TwiHards have cooties!)
...it's fear. Seriously.
I cringe internally a lot more than I should. I feel like I've been duped one too many times. Which is why I hate hype. If my writing ever takes off, I'm sure I'll regret saying hype is evil, but as a reader, it remains the truth. And it's not because people lie. It's not because everything on the market is crap.
Basically, in a nutshell: It's me, not you.
When I say this is a tale of "Don't judge a book by it's cover", I mean it. I passed this book over more times than I can count. I'm not gonna lie: the gothic feel of the cover art doesn't draw me in and neither does the title. It was easy for me to overlook.
...the writing was not so easy to dismiss. In fact, Bardugo totally surprised me. Swept me off my feet, even. I won't go so far as to say that I would have run away to Vegas with this book, but I did swoon a little. Maybe more than a little.
Okay, fine. I totally loved SHADOW AND BONE.
I don't like ruining books by giving away secrets, so I'll keep my raving to a minimum. And, of course, I have to start with Alina. She's scrawny and clumsy and totally in love with a playboy, starting on page 1. Kinda impossible not to feel bad for the girl. Behind the exterior, she's smart and funny and loyal. And so sad.
And then, of course, she's swept up into this story...and I was swept up with her.
Bardugo's characters are great, and her plot is wicked--but it's her worldbuilding that sets her apart. I've never read about anywhere quite like Ravka. The Grisha, the steampunk element, the Unsea...it's enthralling. Add in The Darkling and I'm salivating.
And then Mal makes his entrance--his real entrance. We don't see who he is until the novel is almost finished, but it's worth it. I fell for the kid. And by kid, I mean hunk. I'll just say this: Bardugo gave this story the right amount of romance. The love-triangle-thing was interesting, but it didn't overpower an actual plot. Did keep me guessing for a while, though ;)
Ultimately, this is a quest novel. Alina needs something, and we spend a LOT of time following her around as she tries to find it. But it didn't feel like a quest. Readers don't yawn between descriptions of each landmark. That is a testament to Bardugo's skill in weaving the characters, plot, and world into every page.
I'll post about books 2 &3 later.
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