The Shadow and Bone Trilogy

Book Review

The Shadow and Bone trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo — 3.75 ★

I first heard about Leigh Bardugo and her Grishaverse while scrolling on Netflix. I saw on there an interesting series named Shadow and Bone. It rang a bell in my mind, because I heard about it on Bookstagram before, although I hadn’t yet decided to pick it up and give it a go.

I watched 2 or 3 episodes of the series and liked it a lot, so I thought to myself : “Before spoiling myself to badly, I’ll just pick up the books and dive into the Grishaverse the right way.”

Long story short, I ordered the Six of Crows duology before understanding that it would be best for me to start with the Shadow and Bone trilogy (Ooops). I didn’t have a choice then : I ordered the box set and started my adventure in Ravka.

Shadow and Bone

The first book, for me, was kind of a slow start. I was expecting SO MUCH from it! I think it’s the main reason why I felt let down by it so much. I thought I would find it extraordinary… where I just thought it was an ok story, with ok characters and not a lot happening. I mean, the beginning was quite nice, but then it was mostly Alina in the Small Palace, living her life without anything major happening, right?

I have to say that I am not that big a fan of Alina, either. She’s not a bad main female character, but she doesn’t stand out that much and doesn’t do that much either.

I liked reading Shadow and Bone, but ended giving it 3.5 stars because it felt really underwhelming.

Siege and Storm

GOOD LORD.

Even if I thought the first book was underwhelming, I knew I still wanted to read the rest of the series. One of my close friends, however, had told me that the second book was less interesting than the first, so I wasn’t expecting much of it, and I think it’s because I went in this book with no expectation whatswoever that I ended FALLING IN LOVE WITH IT.

This book just hooked me from Alina and Mal’s beginning in Novyi Zem, to their journey on the ocean, to their way back to Ravka. I felt like everything happening in this book had a great rythm and I just couldn’t put it down!

But mostly, MOSTLY, I loved… Nikolai.

NIKOLAI, OHMYGOD.

My new book boyfriend, I’m telling you! He’s the whole package for me : smart, witty, funny, sexxxxy… the whole. Damn. Thing.

I closed the book and couldn’t do anything else than give it 5 stars for the raw emotions it put me through.

I couldn’t wait for the third book!

Ruin and Rising

Huh. I was so hyped after the second book that my expectations, once again, were really (too) high. The beginning of Ruin and Rising was really promising and I thought it was going to be a great read… but I was a little disappointed by the end. A lot disappointed, actually.

I felt the ending was so rushed, and kind of a mashup of other plots from other stories, which made the ending so… beige in my opinion! And I totally kinda hate beige.

I couldn’t understand the plot with Nikolai (what did she do to my Nikolai???) and I was so disappointed in Mal’s role at the end that it’s all I could think about while I was finishing the book.

It left me… empty? But not the good “completely book hungover from a great read” empty, more like a “this could have been so good but it was not” empty.

Still, I loved Leigh Bardugo’s writing and the beginning of the book was really good, so I ended giving the third and last book of the series a 3.5 stars rating.

Overall, a good series that didn’t “waste my time” since I sincerely enjoyed it.

What next?

The Grishaverse hooked me, for sure, and since I fell completely head over heels for Nikolai… I may let myself be drawn to King of Scars later. Still pondering if I should read Six of Crows first, though.

Thoughts? Please help!

Love xx