Title : Shadow and Bone

By : Leigh Berdugo

Published : June 5th 2012

By: Henry Holt and Company

Genre : YA– Romance – Fantasy – Distopian

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy.

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Rating

4 / 5 Stas

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Review

SO BEAUTIFUL WRITING !

 

“This was his soul made flesh, the truth of him laid bare in the blazing sun, shorn of mystery and shadow. This was the truth behind the handsome face and the miraculous powers, the truth that was the dead and empty space between the stars, a wasteland peopled by frightened monsters.”

 

I met a WONDERFUL WORD that really did not think that was to like me so much but it did and I love that I decided to finally take this book!!:3

To begin I have loved the world where the story unfolds, is beautiful and is very well described so you suddenly find yourself flooded by this one and it is wonderful
(I love maps on the books:3)

Another thing I absolutely loved was the Darkling and I’m being very unoriginal because everyone seems to love the character, but it’s definitely one of the best villains I’ve read more enthralling, dark and entertaining, it has been carried all my feelings: 3

I have put myself in Alina’s place and is a character that I love is determined and is not afraid of express what he thinks and feels and I like that, especially the issue of power is quite amazing !,I love every part where she used it 😀

I have to confess that I like much more Alina’s relationship with the Darkling that with Mal. Is not going to happen but you know .. More the Darkling for Me :3

Mal’s thing is that this character is far from capturing my attention, I don’t know what is punctually, but I find a somewhat flat character and does not have much personality to be a good protagonist

I loved the theme of the powers in the book and its divisions by color, I found it very interesting!

 

“The Darkling slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said with a weary shrug. “Make me your villain.”

 

If the book has not earned my 5 stars is because the small details like that I have cast a bit thick and heavy in some parts and well… my lack of connection with Mal, but still has a chance I KNOW! 🙂

So YES super excited by next one 😀

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Title : Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)

By : Leigh Berdugo

Published : June 4th 2013

By: Henry Holt and Company

Genre : YA– Romance – Fantasy – Distopian

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, 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. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

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Rating

4 / 5 Stars

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Review

“I’ve seen what you truly are,” said the Darkling, “and I’ve never turned away. I never will. Can he say the same?”

This has been very good indeed!

I have many mixed feelings about this book, I feel very happy about the love that has content, the position that Alina takes was very good,she is getting stronger and is much more determined about what she wants
But at the same time I have this discomfort by the lack of things on it like The Darkling mainly lol. And that clearly is a book that is displayed as a transition to the third because it contains many chapters where nothing relevant happens

But it does not mean that writing hasn’t left me astonished again,because it did, it is very addictive and just can not stop reading! Points for Leigh Bardugo!

“When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.”

It all starts when after escaping of The Darkling, Alina and Mal run away to Novyi Sem to have a “normal” life away from Ravka but obviously this goes wrong, and the Darkling finds them and is now more powerful than ever. (THAT’S MY BOY: 3)
and from there it all starts to get a little ugly …

But everything is not as bad ,since on this book we know Nikolai who is according to my opinion the best character on this book. He has a personality that grabs you from the beginning, not counting that will go to surprise you more than once. It is so incredible, he made me laugh a lot and has a very important role in Alina’s life what I loved :). No doubt to Nikolai has stolen the book 🙂

“Do you answer a question directly?”
“Hard to say. Ah, there, I’ve done it again”

I don’t want to speak about Mal seriously, even though he has good scenes and moments on this book remains as hysterical and annoying character so simply I’ll leave it there

Speaking of the end, I liked it but I have not been very happy, because where does this lead us? to keep waiting for the final struggle, and actually would have been in my opinion an incredible closed end and something tragic, but it was not so has been bittersweet for me

“So many men had tried to make her a queen. Now she understood that she was meant for something more. The Darkling had told her he was destined to rule. He had claimed his throne, and a part of her too. He was welcome to it. For the living and the dead, she would make herself a reckoning. She would rise.”

And if you want to know I’m still in love with The Darkling and I would like gladly be her dark princess (? LOL.

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Title : Ruin and Rising  (The Grisha #3)

By : Leigh Berdugo

Published : June 17th 2014

By: Henry Holt and Company

Genre : YA– Romance – Fantasy – Distopian

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

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Rating

5 / 5 Stars

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Review

“I will strip away all that you know, all that you love, until you have no shelter but mine.”

This will be difficult to explain because in fact I feel very nostalgic by the end of this trilogy that won my heart without my noticing it. But now that I am saying goodbye to the characters seriously I can say that I already miss them so much

This book has won all the stars in my opinion for the great growth of the characters through it. They have been courageous and strong at all times and I loved that!

The story begins with Alina being maintained underground by the Apparat as we have previously seen is the leader of the “cult” who revere her as holy.
but then they escape and begins his journey to get the firebird which they believe is the third amplifier that will give Alina the power necessary to defeat my love the Darkling hahaha

(I have to take a break to talk about the new look of our main character. I loved the white hair which is suppose to change after her confrontation with The Darkling in the second book, I believe that at no time explain why the change occurs but I think it gives an interesting style to the plot it’s like a representation of good and evil so I found a good change)

And I think everyone knows my feelings about Mal which are very scarce lol, but I have to say and pleasantly that has grown so much in this book that I have achieved I love him after all, is neither remotely of my favorites but I have to acknowledge that it has become a little wiser with your decisions. This has had a lot to do with the growth of stars this time 🙂

“Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay.”

My favorite thing in this book have certainly been Alina’s encounters with the Darkling, I HAVE LOVED IT!These dialogues have no waste!

And since we are talking about the Darkling I have to say that without doubt will be the most endearing character for me, not only the trilogy I mean all the books I have read. It was a character full of mystery and drama, which has no waste.
I think it’s a soul misunderstood a man with something destructive ideals but basically was always looking aceptacion, appreciation and I have so many incredible words to devote to this character but I just …i LOVE HIM ! And if you read this book you can not miss her dearly taken dialogues and moments that hide so much feeling and thoughts according to my opinion, much of which not even spoken in the book.

“Aleksander,” I whispered. A boy’s name, given up. Almost forgotten.”

So you have to read it, really a great story with a lovely script and an interesting plot!. Full of magic and action, and amusing dialogues! :3

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