Shadow and Bone: Incredible universe with the wrong focus
Read January 1, 2025 → January 14, 2025
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I was introduced to Shadow and Bone through Netflix. I then bought the books and read them, but I honestly couldn’t remember what I thought about it. So, start the new year, I decided to reread it and I was not disappointed.
First of all, I think the writing style of Leigh Bardugo is just wonderful. It is easy to read and understand, so I was able to read all of these books really quickly. The universe Bardugo has created is also absolutely amazing. The Grisha, the politics and the characters are all so interesting. However, that is also my problem with the books: the focus is not on those things.
The politics are always mentioned only briefly, when it is such an interesting story to tell. Alina often talks about the war, but I feel like as a reader, I was not really shown the actual results of the war. Alina talks about orphans and how Ravkans don’t feel safe in their own country, but it is never actually described how these people live. On top of that, there is the internal politics between the Grisha and people without power, but again it feels like I know so little about it. I would have liked to learn more about the politics, so I could understand everyone’s choices better.
The focus of this is mostly on the romance. Normally speaking, I would love romance, but my problem is that I just absolutely hate Mal. I do not believe he actually cares or loves Alina. He only realises he has feelings for her when he can’t have her, so that feels off to me. He then runs away with her, to finally end up back at the Little Palace and then all he does is complain. He doesn’t agree with anything, he feels useless and makes Alina feel bad about herself, her powers and her choices. Then suddenly, in the final book, he is willing to do everything and anything for her, which might seem nice. However, with the information that he is the third amplifier, I wonder if the relationship between Alina and Mal is real or whether it is just the magic of the amplifiers doing their work.
While I know that the Darkling’s intentions also weren’t the best, it almost made me side with him more. Being immortal, having no one like you and then finally meeting someone who is a match to you, I understand why he acted the way he did. He wants what is best for Grisha. In a way, he wants what is best for Alina. He wants her to use her powers, to be Grisha, to be true to herself. While he is definitely a bad person, there is some part of him that cares about Alina, whether he knows it or not.
Nikolai is one of my absolute favourite characters, and it made me really annoyed at Alina. It feels like she never truly sees the real Nikolai and his real intentions. It is logical, because Nikolai doesn’t want to admit what exactly he wants and how much he cares, but Alina often brushed him off. She kept talking about the way he only cared about getting the throne and wanting a powerful alliance, but again, I feel like Nikolai did really care about Alina.
Overall, I think the universe and the story itself is quite interesting. My problem is just that the focus is wrong and I feel like Alina is making the wrong choice when she puts Mal first in everything. Still, it’s a lovely read and I’m looking forward to reading more about the Grisha Verse. Next up: Six of Crows.
