** 3.5 stars **
I must be one of the only ones who hasn’t read this yet I always thought that committing to something was a strength of mine but my hesitation to dive into this series and universe proofs my self-perception wrong. I would’ve probably waited even longer if it weren’t for a lovely friend of mine. Since I do want to write a short review on Shadow and Bone though, let’s get to that (incl. minor spoilers).
I enjoyed reading it. It was exciting and suspenseful. So much so that I read in every free minute of my days. I found the premise to be intriguing though it lacked depth and further world building in my opinion. I’m not someone who has to have the whole world, politics and arcs up until the point we start in a book explanied to me. The way it was written in S&B, though, meant that I didn’t really hold my breath too much, since I couldn’t grasp the magnitude of the consequences etc. It felt like we rushed through the story with the focus on some less important details rather than giving more insight into the world.
Also, it wasn’t hard to guess most of the things that were meant to shock me as a reader, but since it’s a YA novel that’s not too much of a let down for me. Plus, I didn’t really anticipate the big twist. I knew something had to happen, as I picked up some things from various TikToks, but I couldn’t imagine how the Darkling was to become the antagonist.
I didn’t connect with many characters quite as deeply as I’d wished – apart form Mal – but I am intrigued to find out what happens next.
I’m guessing that I’m just a bit too old for this series already, but if you are younger or you don’t mind the things that didn’t work for me then I can recommend this book to you for sure.
