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Shadow and Bone )

Author: Visit Amazon's Leigh Bardugo Page | Language: English | ISBN: 1250027438 | Format: EPUB

Shadow and Bone ) Description

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2012: Alina Starkov has never been anything more than yet another orphan of her country’s on-going wars...until she channels magic not seen in centuries to protect her best friend, Mal. Her new-found powers attract the attention of the Darkling, the most powerful of the country’s magic-wielders. He tells Alina that her magic could heal the Shadow Fold, if she can only learn to control it--and if she agrees to trust the Darkling despite the mystery that surrounds his very existence. Leigh Bardugo brings a cast of well-defined characters and a unique magic system to her lavishly imagined world, where light doesn’t always conquer dark and deception runs so deep that it becomes truth. And yet, against all expectations, the bonds of sacrifice and friendship remain too strong to be severed in this thrilling debut. --Malissa Kent

Amazon Exclusive: Editor Noa Wheeler Interviews Leigh Bardugo, author of Shadow and Bone

Nora Wheeler: I was really struck when I was reading Shadow and Bone by the beautiful setting. It's not our world exactly but it feels very Russian. Can you tell me a little bit more about the setting and how it played into your writing?

Leigh Bardugo: I think a lot of people have come to expect the medieval European setting from fantasy, and I wanted to use a different cultural touchstone for my world. There's also this terrible tension between the beauty of Russian culture and the brutality of its history that just lends itself to high-drama narrative. The more I researched the more inspired I got.

NW: I truly believe that Shadow and Bone is a book for everyone. It's fantasy but there's plenty here for someone who's not a regular fantasy reader to fall in love with. That makes it feel different to me from a lot of what's out there. Do you agree? And if so, what do you think makes this book different?

LB: I hope you're right! I tried really hard to make the book accessible to people who might not ordinarily pick up high fantasy. I'm a fantasy writer, so I love world building. I love maps. I love all that good stuff. But the story really began for me with the relationships between Alina and Mal and the Darkling. And I hope that comes through. Some people are put off by fantasy because they pick up a book and there are 10 terms and each one has 20 consonants and three apostrophes and you have no idea how to pronounce things and it kind of makes the book feel like work. So I tried to ease people into the world a bit more gently. That's also why I chose to tell the story from Alina's point of view. She's very down to earth, very pragmatic, has a modern sensibility. I hope her perspective will make it easier for readers to enter Ravka.

NW: Another thing I think makes this book so different is that the magic is very accessible. For instance, I love the idea of the Small Science, of something that looks like magic being an enhancement of what's actually around us all the time. Can you elaborate on that aspect of the story a little bit?

LB: I've just always been interested in the functionality of magic. I love Harry Potter and I always wondered what actually happens physically and structurally when you mutter a curse or wave a wand. I wanted to get into the nitty-gritty of how the magic worked. So the Small Science is really about manipulating matter at its most fundamental levels. It's basically magical molecular chemistry.

NW: This is a little bit of a fangirl question, but if you could meet one of your characters who would it be and why?

LB: Well, my fangirl answer would be The Darkling. Because he's gorgeous and mysterious and dangerous and all those fun things. But I would also love to meet Genya. She kind of serves as Alina's guide into this magical world of the Grisha and the political maneuvering of the royal court. She's a combination of a make-up artist, a plastic surgeon, and a sorceress--and on the surface she's the classic fairy godmother, sassy best friend character, but there's a lot more to her than that. She's been kicked around and looked down on a lot throughout her life, yet she's always managed to keep her chin up and stay fabulous. I like that, and I think she'd be really fun to hang out with.

NW: What do you want readers to take away from this book?

LB: The message at the heart of the story is basically that the things that you fear most in yourself, the things that make you different, are also the things that give you power. And that embracing them can make you beautiful. So I would love it if people took that away from the book. I would also love it if people came away from it wanting to know what happens next for Alina and Mal! Things get really intense in the sequel, Siege and Storm. There are some new characters and what I hope will be some big surprises.

NW: Thanks so much for talking about Shadow and Bone with me today.

LB: My pleasure. Thank you!

See a map of the world of Shadow and Bone

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--This text refers to the






Hardcover
edition.

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up–Orphaned from the Border Wars, Alina was raised by strangers with her only friend, Mal. Drafted into the army of war-torn Rafka, the pair joins their regiment on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a place where darkness reigns and nobody survives the attacks of its native, nightmarish creatures. When the two friends are attacked, Alina inadvertently summons her dormant magical powers to save her regiment. She is ripped from everything she knows and sent to be trained as a Grisha in the court of the Darkling, the most powerful magic wielder. Cut off from contact with Mal, Alina has a hard time learning to use her power. When she discovers the Darkling's plan to enslave her in order to destroy all who oppose him, she must figure out a way to stop him and find her way back to Mal. Will she learn to wield her power and save Rafka before it's too late? Narrator Amanda Dolan masterfully brings Alina's world of magic and monsters to life. Bardugo's well-developed characters in this debut novel (Holt, 2012) are enhanced by the narrator's unique voices and intonations. The transitions between action and suspense are incredible, and listeners will be totally engrossed. The twists throughout this unique plot are expertly handled by both author and narrator and keep listeners guessing. For fans of dark fantasy, adventure, suspense, and magic.–Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UTα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
--This text refers to the






Audio CD
edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews

• Age Range: 12 - 17 years
• Grade Level: 7 and up
• Series: Grisha Trilogy (Shadow and Bone) (Book 1)
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Square Fish; 1 edition (May 7, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250027438
• ISBN-13: 978-1250027436
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

How can I convey the awesomeness of "Shadow and Bone?"

Admittedly, this book wasn't an instant pick for me when it showed up in my Vine selections. But then I remembered I had put it on the wishlist I use to keep track of upcoming books, so I grabbed it, and wow, am I happy I did.

I hated having to put "Shadow and Bone" down. Real life is always so annoying when you're in the middle of a great book, and that's just what this is. I'm going to try every way I can to get my hands on a copy of book two before it comes out, because I'm THAT eager to find out what happens to Alina, Mal, the Darkling, and Ravka.

At the start of "Shadow and Bone," Alina is a regular girl. Unremarkable, even. She's terrified of crossing the Shadow Fold, but then, so is everyone else. The Fold is a swath of darkness across Ravka, cutting the country off from the sea. Volcra, monsters that attack humans, live in the Fold, and it's said they can smell human blood from miles away. Mal, Alina's best friend, reassures her that nothing is going to happen.

But of course, something does happen. On their way across the Fold, the volcra attack. When they go after Mal, nearly killing him, Alina is desperate to save him. Somehow, she does. Light suddenly fills the Fold, driving the volcra back.

And that's where the story really starts. Alina is whisked away from her life in the army to train as a Grisha. Grisha are sort of like witches or mages. Usually, children are tested to see if they have Grisha abilities, and if they do, they are taken to a special school to be trained. Alina didn't pass the test as a child, but she's one of the most powerful Grisha ever. Only she can get rid of the Fold and rescue Ravka from darkness.

For hundreds of years the land of Ravka has been divided into east and west by a miles-wide void of darkness called The Fold. Another name for it is the Unsea. Probably because the only way to travel across it is to use sand skiffs which use sails to glide across the wasteland inside the Fold. Within the Fold, no light enters. So once you are inside you can't even see your hand in front of your face. You can use torches and lamps, but you really don't want to attract notice while you're in the fold. For, you see, something or actually, some THINGS live in the fold. Here there be monsters. The volcra, blind, flying humanoid creatures with razor sharp teeth, are attracted to any light source or noise. They are always ready to feed on any voyagers across the Unsea.

Now you might question why, if it's so dangerous, does anyone even try to cross the Fold? It's due to geography. Ravka is hemmed in by hostile countries to north and south and to the east, there is nothing but mountains. Across the Fold lies Ravka's port cities, it's only means to export and import goods, supplies, and wealth. In essence, West Ravka is the backbone of the land's economy. The only way to get across the Fold is to bring armed guards or soldiers, and hopefully, some Grisha.

Grisha are the equivalent to what we would call sorcerors. They don't really use magic though. They simply have the ability to manipulate matter at its most basic level. Kinda more like the alchemists in Fullmetal Alchemist. Some can control the elements such as the Inferni or Tidemakers. Others are soldiers or healers that can effect living things, either positively or negatively. Some are even used in manufacturing.

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