Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo follows protagonist Alina Starkov as she discovers she has magical powers which could save Ravka.
What I liked ✅ The concept of Grisha and the Fold are interesting
What I didn't like ✖ It reads like it was written by a 17-year-old, riddled with cliches, lame dialogue and generic, boring descriptions ✖ Alina Starkov is one of the dullest, uninteresting, uninspiring female YA characters written; she's the typical pretty-but-thinks-she's-plain girl, while being powerful, likeable, kind... wait, what are her faults again? ✖ all the other characters are just as dull, stereotypical and unimaginative ✖ SO. MANY. TROPES. IN. THIS. BOOK. ✖ Bardugo didn't even bother googling basic facts about Russian culture or language ✖ do not expect to be challenged emotionally or intellectually ✖ oh, so Alina will fall in love with the mysterious handsome stranger she only just met? and he turns out to be a sadistic villain? oh really? I never saw that coming. .
Read a detailed discussion of everything wrong with Shadow and Bone here.
Rating 1/5 🌟 Genre: fantasy Verdict: This was just terrible.