"I'm not what you think I am, I whispered desperately. The Darkling stepped closer to me and said, his voice so low only I could her, 'I doubt you have any idea what you are.'" This is a quote from a book called Shadow and Bone, book number one in a trilogy. I can already tell from reading the first book that it will be at the top of my list of favorites. Shadow and Bone is basically about a teenage girl name Alina in a fictional world, where magic is used and demonic creatures lurk in the darkness of the Flod. Aline has magical powers that show up uncalled for, but save her and her friends life, along with making her capable of saving or destroying the world. Leigh Bardugo's exquisite style of writing in Shadow and Bone had me enthralled in the story, making me extremely reluctant to stop at the end of each chapter.
Shadow and Bone is a fictional novel based in a fictional world and sports the theme of good vs. evil. The life lesson is to be careful who you trust, inner good conquers evil.
Alina, the main character, discovered she had a power that could lead her down one of two paths, to change the world for good or bad. Alina trusted the Darkling, an evil and deceptive person, and became enslaved by him so he could harness her power. Alina's life long friend, Mal, became a victim of the Darkling's plot to control the world. Alina's bond with Mal caused her to gather enough will power to conquer the Darklings evil, resulting in the saving of Mal's life.
Leigh Bardugo's style of writing makes this novel exciting to read. The way the book is narrated from Alina's discriptive point of view makes me feel as if I were watching the story on a movie screen, or as if I were really there. The way the author descibes the scenery in the land of Racka allows me to have a perfect mental image of every area. The narrators voice in this book is unique, being the first book I have read from a females point of view.
The characters in this novel are very well developed by the author and it is easy to recognize what type of people they are. It was easy to indentify the characters personality because of the authors discriptive writing. The fact that the characters were described so well allowed me to emerse myself in the story. Alina describes her self in the beginning as a small, frail girl that wasn't very attractive. The Darkling is descibed as a handsom, mysterious being with immense power. The Darkling decieved Alina by giving her anything she wanted to trick her into trusting him so he could enslave her. Mal is said to be the best tracker in Ravka, he is portrayed as a popular guy who is also Alina's best friend.
The setting of the novel is a war torn land called Ravka. The conflict in this novel is between Alina and Mal, who are good, and the Darkling, who is evil. Ravka is divided by a place called the Fold, which is inhabited by demon creatures, preventing people from crossing. The creatures of the Fold's main purpose is to kill anything the come across. When Alina and Mal try to escape the Darkling, they use Ravka's rugged terrain to hide and protect themselves.
This book connects with me because I love fictional stories. The only other books I have read similar to this are the Harry Potter books. This type of book appeals to me mainly because of the dramatic storyline and the use of mythological beings. This book would appeal to anyone who enjoys modern fictional fantasy and a great suspensful story line.
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