Book Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

You know what's weird? I've had Shadow and Bone on my to-read list for about 3 years but I still read Six of Crows, which is set in the same universe but was released much later, first. Anyways, Shadow and Bone was a book that originally caught my attention as it was listed as a recommendation at my local library. It took me forever to actually pick it up and read it though. After reading Six of Crows (you can check out my review here) I decided that I really wanted to learn more about the Grisha and dive back into the world that Leigh Bardugo created. Luckily Shadow and Bone is the first book of the original trilogy so I settled down to read it as soon as I could.

The country of Ravka was divided many years ago when the Dark Heretic created the Shadow Fold, an area of impenetrable darkness that separates West Ravka from the rest of the country. Within the fold, live creatures that were once human known as Volcra. Corrupted by darkness, they feed on the human flesh of travelers and soldiers that make the dangerous trip into the Fold. Enter Alina Starkov and Malyen "Mal" Oretsev. Both orphans due to the Border Wars that Ravka raged against its neighboring countries, Mal is a tracker with the First Army of Ravka while Alina is a mapmaker. During their first trip into the void, they are attacked by Volcra and it's during this attack that everyone witnesses a display of Alina's powers. Deemed a Grisha, practitioners of the "Small Science" and akin to sorcerers, Alina is whisked away into a world of politics and power.

Ok, that was a pretty lame summary but really, I can't tell you much without giving it all away! Shadow and Bone was a book that I read in approximately three hours. I was actually completely ignoring my schoolwork and just devouring this book! It's an easy read and fast paced so that every time I stopped, I did so begrudgingly because something was always going on. I liked its fast pace and I especially liked the realistic way in which Alina was portrayed. She went from, "Idk what I'm doing, I'm going to fail so horribly at this" to "Come at me bruh." Mal was difficult to figure out, and while he had some character development, I felt like I wasn't 100% sold on this character even at the end. Other characters were similar in that I felt like I had only skimmed the surface with them. And that's actually ok, because as the first part of a trilogy, I think it's acceptable to do so. While the books get reviewed as separate entities, they're all telling a part of one overarching story, so I hope that I see more of the supporting characters and more character development in the following books.

Book Review: Destria Waves

*Full disclaimer*: The author Lily Raine is a personal friend of mine. She has asked me for an honest review of her first book.

Anastasia's life has been marred by the memories of the brutal murder of several of her family members while she visited Russia as a child. She is haunted by the image of the murderer who calls her "Aria" and worse yet, she has instances where she disconnects with reality and sees a woman in a white dress who tries to feed her blue flowers. But when she's lured to the woods by a man in a mask who refers to her as Aria, warning of danger coming, Anastasia discovers there's something far greater than visions and the memory of a murder that make her different. 

Destria Waves (the first book of the Anastasia series) is a book that I mulled over long after completing it. There is a lot that happens in the first book, so much that at times I had to go back and reread certain sections to make sure I didn't miss something. Details that might seem insignificant in one part of the book come back in full force later in the book (like the chocolate! Read this book and then dare to tell me that the chocolate wasn't a freakin' awesome detail). The plot and pace was clearly planned out significantly which for me, instantly places this book at a higher calibre than many YA fiction series currently out there. 

Book Review: The Iron Trial

Look at that cover - isn't it pretty cool?! I picked The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare off a shelf in the new jfiction area at one of the libraries where I work. I've read many YA books by Clare and liked them so I decided to go ahead and read the start to this new series. The Iron Trail follows Callum "Call" Hunt who is determined to fail the exam that will allow him to enter the Magisterium and become an apprentice of a mage. However, things don't go as he planned. This book was overall a quick read and definitely brought forth an entire new fantasy universe.  Now, let's get to it, shall we?