I just submitted my revision for the First Five Pages workshop, so it should be posted here on Monday. As always, I feel like Desiderium is getting better, and I long for the day when someone says it's good, not just better. If it ever gets here.
I just finished reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. A co-worker of mine recommended it to me, and although I was a little skeptical based on reviews, I have to say that I liked it a lot. I definitely give the author props for coming up with an origianl concept.
Shadow and Bone Summary:Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.
When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.
Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.
Shadow and Bone Review:
Alina, although weak at times was an excellent main character. The concept behind the Grisha and the Darkling and the Shadow Fold was well crafted and original. The author even did an excellent job of making the reader sympathize with Alina all throughout the journey, and did an even better job of hiding the book's secret from the reader. All too often the reader knows it's coming, but I thought this revelation had a nice element of surprise to it.
The one thing that irked me about this book was that her best friend Mal would hook up with all these women, but the first time she kisses someone else, he makes her out to be the worst person in the world. It was very annoying, but at least the main character called him out on it. The ending of the book was a little bit of a let down, but I have high hopes for the two sequels. I would definitely recommend this book without reservation.
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