Shadow and Bone | Leigh Bardugo | Book Review

"Make me your villain."

I was skeptical to read this as I usually am when it comes to reading high fantasy. They can either turn out to be the best or will be irrevocably stupid. In the first case, I'll fall in love with the book, and if it's the latter then I'll feel second hand embarrassment. With fantasy, there's no in between for me. Yet I finally decided to plunge into this super-hyped series. And fortunately enough, S&B turned out to be the former. I don't deny that it has its certain flaws, but I learnt to live with them. 

I'd say that the plot is typical. Yet the swift flow of the story and quality writing do a great job in covering up its clichés. A geopolitical consciousness also permeates in the story, adding a touch of realism in the background. And despite its stereotypical elements, the plot gets interesting and exciting enough a couple chapters into the book. And then there's a massive plot twist in the story which I should've expected but somehow I didn't see that coming at all. Once revealed, there was no backing down from the trilogy. 

Now coming to the characters. Alina's character development is the fuel of the story, and so is the Darkling's. Mal's character arc is central to the plot as well but it almost seems forced. He kind of seemed aloof, rude, and maybe even a bit toxic(?) And then suddenly he becomes a knight in shining armor. I can't say that it wasn't predictable but I was hoping for something different. Unlike Alina, Darkling, Baghra, Genya and even Zoya, I don't think that Mal is a well written character. And he's much less likable, at least to me.

The best thing about the book (and the trilogy for that matter) is that it never wastes any page. It is extremely fast-paced and gathers the plot succinctly within 300 pages. What can I say...I love a medium sized book that delivers a story I can obsess about. 

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