This final book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy was a good and bittersweet ending with satisfying closure for the characters, but there were some parts that I just didn’t like and I didn’t get the ending that I personally had hoped for.

“You live in a single moment. I live in a thousand.”

In this third book, the Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne, and a weakened Alina is hiding and being forced to form dubious alliances to protect herself while hunting for the firebird to get her powers back. She’s also searching for Nikolai, desperately looking for confirmation that he’d survived.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. All in all, I’m content with how the entire trilogy came together at the end, but I didn’t like the turn the story took in some aspects. But on the other hand, some of the characters that I didn’t like in the other books redeemed themselves and made me unexpectedly root for them in the end. I personally would have loved for even more focus on Nikolai in this story though. He’s definitely my favorite character of them all. But on the other hand, he’ll get his very own story in the King of Scars series, so I guess I’ll just have to wait for that to get satisfaction for my Nikolai-cravings... I still don’t understand why everyone loves the Darkling though. Sorry for this unpopular opinion, but I liked him less and less for each book. To me, he was just evil and nothing he did made me feel empathy or understanding for him.

The plot was fast-paced and addictive, but it felt a bit all over the place at times, and there wasn’t really the epic finale I’d expected. Sadly, I also didn’t get the happy ending for the two characters I’d personally hoped for (not saying anything more to risk spoiling things), but it was nevertheless an interesting and well-written conclusion that wrapped up this trilogy in a satisfying way. Even though the ending wasn’t the one I’d hope for, I really feel that it completed the series so well and that Leigh Bardugo gave each character the closure they deserved.

All in all, the Shadow and Bone-trilogy was a thrilling, unique and addictive fantasy series with amazing and complex characters to root for that I highly recommend! And, if possible, I am now even more eagerly awaiting the Netflix adaptation!

​Rating:
4 stars

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Leigh Bardugo

I loved this second book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy even more than the first one! I loved the character developments, especially Alina’s internal conflicts, but most of all I loved the introduction of Nikolai, he’s such a new favorite character!

In this sequel to Shadow and Bone Alina is on the run together with Mal, hunted by the Darkling, and struggling to make a new life in an unfamiliar land. Ending up on the notorious privateer Sturmhond’s ship, they eventually return, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal.

“There is no ordinary life for people like you and me.”

I loved the character developments in this book! Alina was a much stronger narrator and I felt myself rooting and caring about the characters a lot more, especially Nikolai. When he entered the story, it got me even more hooked. I loved his sassiness and intelligence, but also how he always stood up for what’s right and just and opposed the mistreatment of innocent people. His and Alina’s bantering was one of my favorite parts and what made this book even better than Shadow and Bone. I also loved the glimpses of court life and politics that was added to the story with the introduction of Nikolai.

I know not everyone agrees with me on this, but I really appreciated the way Leigh Bardugo slowed the action part down a bit in order for us to get to know the characters more and how she showed them as persons, not just heroes fighting for a purpose. I especially enjoyed seeing Alina grow and how she handled her internal conflicts, both in regard to her power and her relationships.

“You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai? They always end up dead.”

A thing I didn’t enjoy so much though, was the way things developed with Mal. He just came across as whiney, insecure and clingy complaining about how Alina was changing instead of supporting her to embrace her full power. I also still don’t really get the fuss about the Darkling. But I nevertheless found myself missing his presence in this book, the intrigue definitely would have been more intense if there’d been more of him. But on the other hand, I’m very content with how a lot of the focus was on Nikolai. He definitely carried this book almost all by himself!

All in all, this was an amazing sequel that did this series more than justice and got me even more addicted to the story and its characters! The inspiration drawn from Russian folklore and culture makes this series really unique among fantasy stories, and the way Leigh Bardugo writes is just brilliant and so captivating! I’ll be picking up Ruin and Rising right away, both dreading and longing for the conclusion of this magical story! I know who I wish for Alina to choose, but I fear that Leigh Bardugo might not give me the ending I hope for…

Rating:
4.5 magical stars rounding up to 5

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Leigh Bardugo

I’ve had Shadow and Bone on my TBR for such a long time, but hearing how everyone seemed to think that Six of Crows was so much better, I never really felt motivated to pick it up. Not until I saw the trailer for the new Netflix series and urgently felt the need to read this series before it comes out! Due to all the mixed opinions, I still went into the book with low expectations though, only to be so pleasantly surprised by this thrilling and magical read with amazing and complex characters to root for!

This book hooked me in a way I hadn’t expected, with its magical world-building that was something of a mix between Russian folklore and mythology, topped with characters to love and hate, a lot of twists, a chosen-one-trope with the orphan girl Alina Starkov finding her powers and trying to save the world, adventures and a sweet romance threatened by a bad guy intervention (the infamous the Darkling…).

The story in itself was perhaps not a very unique one for a YA fantasy, with the poor ugly duckling who is not aware of her powers, but who turns into one of the most powerful persons in the kingdom and is forced to take on the epic task to fight evil and finally get seen for who she is by everyone, including her old childhood crush. But the world-building and the mix between mythology, militarism and the complex characters created a truly spellbinding story. The thing that made this book absolutely stand out though were the complex characters. They were so unique and interesting, mean but kind, bad but also good, and the all added so much depth to the story. I always appreciate the suspense when the villains and heroes are not at all who they seem at first. I adored Alina from the very start and I loved to see her growing from insecure to strong and sassy, but also how relatable she was in her struggles to find her place in the new world. I’m not so sure about either Mal or the Darkling though. Mal felt a bit bland and I didn’t like that he only started to really notice Alina when the Darkling took interest in her, but hopefully he’ll grow on me as the series continues. As for the Darkling I don’t really understand what all the fuss is about. I think he was cruel and manipulative, but I must confess that he did intrigue me nevertheless, so maybe I will end up under his spell too eventually... I also think that the romance parts could have been a bit more spicy, with more build-up tension, but all in all it was a rather well executed love triangle.

In the middle of the book, the pace felt much slower and some parts were a little boring. But on the other hand, I enjoyed that the slower pace allowed for some great character growth and more insights into the Grishaverse.

All in all, Shadow and Bone was a great first book that set a brilliant foundation that got me completely addicted to this series and its characters. I’ll be picking up Siege and Storm right away, too intrigued to wait a second longer than necessary to what I can only guess is still to come!

Rating:
4 stars

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Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom is the sequel to the wonderful Six of Crows, and just like the first book in the duology, the characters in this book are so amazing.

The story is told from multiple character’s third point of views. I absolutely loved how brilliantly Leigh Bardugo created a web with so many layers, when each character added his or her piece, but still kept the main story together. I absolutely fell in love with all of the six main characters. They were so unique and interesting, mean but kind, bad but also good, and the all added so much depth to the story. And they all had troublesome pasts that helped you understand how they’d ended up in this band of thieves, but you also got to know about their dreams for the future and their hidden feelings and thoughts, which made you relate to, and love them, even more.
 
One thing I did not like though was a sad thing that happened in the story (will not say more to not spoil anything, but it really upset me). Besides that, this was a perfect ending to the series. I loved the way some of the romances evolved and also a very happy family discovery that was made.

Rating:
4 stars

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Leigh Bardugo

I was a bit afraid that Six of Crows wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it was a really great read with amazing characters and a plot that kept you on edge with worry and anticipation all the way to the end.

I have to confess though that I did struggle a bit with getting into the story at first. I’d heard so many wonderful things about it, but I just couldn’t get past the first two chapters when I first started reading it. I actually had to re-read these chapters to get into all the characters and details. But once I got past those chapters, it got so good! So, if you’re struggling with the beginning too, please know that the book is so worth to keep reading!
 
What makes this book so good are the characters. The story is told from multiple character’s third point of views. I loved how brilliantly Leigh Bardugo created a web with so many layers, when each character added his or her piece, but still kept the main story together. I absolutely fell in love with all of the six main characters. They were so unique and interesting, mean but kind, bad but also good, and the all added so much depth to the story. And they all had troublesome pasts that helped you understand how they’d ended up in this band of thieves, but you also got to know about their dreams for the future and their hidden feelings and thoughts, which made you relate to, and love them, even more. And this is only the first book, I can only imagine how they will grow character wise in the next book in this series.
 
And the story; what an amazing tale of adventure, magic and entertainment! It was slightly different than many other YA/fantasy books as it did not have much focus on romance. There were two (potential) ones, and I totally ship them both, but it was not the driver of this action-packed, thrilling rollercoaster ride of a story.

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Leigh Bardugo