It’s been some time since I read Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo’s YA fantasy that took the world by storm in recent years. With the popularity of the Netflix TV adaptation, the controversial second season and the show’s cancellation, I thought it was about time to return to the books and see what I remember. Is it as good as my eighteen-year-old brain recalls? Does it compare to my favourite fantasy to date? Let’s find out!

The book is a little longer than 300 pages, a shock at first glance considering the length of time covered in this novel. What it does mean though is I can look at the page number and see what major plot point is next, where the trajectory of the writing is going and how much longer there is of each portion of the story. There is a basic beat sheet pattern that almost all books follow, especially YA fantasy books, and Shadow and Bone follows these beats almost to a tee. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it does make the text a little predictable, or at least not so subtle in its storytelling.

My subjective takeaway from this novel is that it lacks an emotional depth that would make it more immersive and compelling. There is a lot of action, quick pacing, and, as I mentioned earlier, time covered in this novel. These moving elements paired with Alina’s sudden life changes and emotional turmoil could have benefitted from deep introspection, reflection, or uncertainty. Is this the right thing to do? Do I trust these people? Can I trust what is being said? For an orphan girl ripped away from her closest friend, I would hope there was at least a bit of distrust and willing separation between her and the other Grisha at the Little Palace. Even between her and the Darkling, there should have been some more uncertainty, especially for the sake of slowly breaking that down, for hope and humanity and possibilities to be noticed, and then for the truth to come out.

The other characters around Alina seem to have a lot more emotional depth and display emotion as expected. Mal, though blind to his love before Alina was taken away, shows that devotion and care for her once they’ve been reunited. Zoya, as much of a mean girl as she is, has that cattiness and fierce hatred for Alina which makes her a better character than our Plain Jane “I’m not special” protagonist. I don’t intend to be mean here, but based on character archetypes, Alina is The Chosen One, reluctant as she is at the beginning, and we don’t have much more to her as the protagonist we should be caring about. I don’t get any real sense of self-realisation from her – she’s going through so many changes all at once and rarely has moments of emotional outbreak. She cries a few times (not enough, in my opinion), and maybe even gets a few flashes of anger out there, but it’s mainly her seeking validation when, to me, she would be a lot less willing to open up to others.

In terms of story world description and world-building, the fantasy aspects are woven so finely into the politics and social perceptions of the novel. Not only do we have conflicts between Grisha and non-Grisha, but we have politics between those in court, clashing politics with neighbouring countries and their treatment of Grisha, and let’s not forget the whole military situation with the First Army and Second Army. The landscapes are rich with detail, or lack thereof for the barren tundras and poorer areas. Again, Alina’s voice restricts some of that emotional detail. I would love to have seen more use of the senses and seen her thoughts and feelings more. There are moments while she and Mal are passing through towns and settlements, or right at the end where there’s a lot of climatic energy and tension, and the full scope of the story wasn’t reached because Alina’s perspective wasn’t rich enough to realise all the key points of interest. This, again, could be all my opinion and it may be fine for you. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just wishing it was better.

What I do like in Shadow and Bone, more than how it was depicted in the TV show, is the relationship between Alina and the Darkling. I’m a big fan of Ben Barnes and his portrayal of the Darkling, but something in the original text with the murky feelings between the two hits better. The surprises, subtleties, and secret shared words give the facade of a budding romance, with even the Darkling a little taken aback by his actions. Even with how the last 100 pages unfold, the answers aren’t clear as to how he feels, how she feels, what parts of their shared moments were real emotions and what parts were perhaps faked or purposeful manipulation. I remember that this relationship has this “like calls to like” energy throughout the series which I find works well, but I can’t forget that we have another ageless love interest on our hands here. Those who have read my reviews for Caraval, specifically Legendary, will know how I feel about immortal characters praying on girls (yes, we have another female character who is under the age of eighteen in love with a man much older than her).

I’m unsure how the rest of the series will pan out now that I’ve reread Shadow and Bone. Maybe Siege and Storm is better than I remember? All I know is that there is a massive chunk of time somewhere between the middle of Siege and Storm and maybe the middle of Ruin and Rising where nothing happens. I hope for my sake I’m wrong, otherwise, I’ll be finding a new owner for this trilogy soon.