Book Club March Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I think Leigh Bardugo is a great writer and her Ninth House series is a favourite for both myself and CY, therefore I have been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time. So much so that when CY started reading it I insisted she stop so that I could choose it for book club. I do have to preface this review with the fact that I watched the Netflix show before reading the book, so I already knew quite a bit about the world and the story before diving in.

Set in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, Shadow and Bone is the first book of the trilogy following the protagonist, Alina Starkov, as she evolves from a sickly orphan from Keramzin, to a mapmaker in the First Army, to one of the most powerful Grisha in Ravka. Along the way Alina encounters love, heartbreak, betrayal, friendship and the allure of darkness.

The Good Stuff

I love the Grishaverse! I think the world created by Leigh Bardugo is so captivating that I really wanted to love this book. The magic system, referred to in the book as the Small Science, is a unique take on the manipulation of the elements and on a basic level works by the Grisha's ability to manipulate matter that exists around them. I really like the way the different types of Grisha are separated into Etherealki, Corporalki and Materialki, and that they all have distinct abilities which ensures that they must combine their powers to solve most situations. My favourite are probably the heartrenders, simply because they are simultaneously extremely powerful and slightly creepy in their ability to manipulate other people's hearts.

I also feel for the most part she managed to create likeable characters in Mal and Genya, whilst the Darkling and Baghra were both very mysterious and intriguing. I also love a good love triangle and best friends to lovers story, and this book had both. I did really like the relationship between Alina and Mal, it was both heartwarming and exciting. This created a nice contrast from the dangerous allure of the Darkling.

The Not So Good Stuff

Unfortunately, there was a lot about the execution of this book that I didn't like.

Probably the biggest issue was that I found Alina to be an annoying main character. I did not find her convincing, I did not understand her motivations, and I just wasn't persuaded by a lot of the choices she made. In particular, I felt she became infatuated with the Darkling far too quickly, and her decisions didn't seem to involve much thought, such as when she decided not to kill the stag.

I think that Leigh Bardugo didn't delve enough into what motivates her characters, and their thought processes didn't seem to capture the complexities of their warring emotions and logical reasoning. In parts it felt like the author just wanted to make a plot point happen, but didn't actually know how to do it in a way that would make sense.

My overarching view of the book was that it all felt very teenage. I know the book is YA, however I am a huge fan of fantasy, which for the most part tends to fall into the YA category, and I usually don't find it to be so immature. I was also hoping to learn more about the magic system from the book, but it didn't seem like the author understood it herself completely and instead glossed over the details in her explanation.

Overall I feel like the Netflix show was a complete reflection of the book, which for me leaves the book a little lacking. There are usually complexities in a book that can't be so easily conveyed on screen, leading to a deeper understanding of the world and the characters. But with this book I feel it was just as surface level as the Netflix show and it left me expecting more.

In contrast, CY loved this book completely. She had a huge crush on both Mal and the Darkling, she got excited at their interactions with Alina, and she was gripped by the storyline. Which does make me wonder: is CY just biased by her love for Leigh Bardugo's other works or did I just ruin this one for myself by watching the Netflix series first?

Rating

CY - Call me biased, but I really enjoyed this book. The love triangle had me kicking my feet so much that I could see past any of the flaws. 5/5.

Kay - I really wanted to love this book more, but the detail and character development on this one was a bit lacking. 3.5/5

Have you read this book or watched the show? Did you have a preference between them? And did you love it like CY did, or did you also want more developed explanations and characters? Let us know in the comments!