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Shadow and Bone | July 8, 2015

by Leigh Bardugo (Square Fish/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, May 2013)

Leigh Bardugo weaves a complicated fantastical realm in this first book of the Grisha Trilogy. We follow Alina, an orphan who serves as an apprentice to a cartographer, on a ship that is bound for the Shadow Fold—a realm of pitch darkness filled with unspeakable monsters that has spread across the country. During a grizzly fight in the Shadow Fold, Alina’s powers of light awaken and she is shepherded into the dazzling world of the Grisha as the last hope of eliminating the Fold. Working together with the most powerful of the Grisha, the Darkling, Alina learns to harness and control her powers and her feelings for the Darkling while she is still pining for her childhood friend and love, Mal, who was wounded during the fight. There’s a fair amount of twists and turns throughout this first book to keep readers on their toes. Alina is your average YA heroine who packs a punch while still trying to find her way through life and the new opportunities available to her. The emotional stakes remain high as her passion wavers back and forth between the Darkling and Mal. The ending gives way to an explosive setup for the rest of the series.

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