Hold your grip everyone! This book will blow you a real fantasy experience through reading! Shadow and Bone has a lot to offer the readers because it covers many aspects in the society (reality) that turned into fiction-kick ass portrayal, friendship, trust, betrayal and magic. This is tricky, lovely and amazing book. I love fantasy. I love Shadow and Bone!
PLOT SUMMARY:
Alina Starkov is a teenaged orphan, a citizen of Kingdom of Ravka. She grew up with Mal Oretsev. As the story begins they are marching to the Unsea (fold), a perpetually dark, barren, strip of land cutting most of Ravka off from the sea. Periodic expeditions are sent across to take goods to the sea, and bring back imports. The crossing is dangerous, because the Unsea is inhabited by monsters named Volcra. Early in their crossing, the Volcra attack, and, while saving Mal, Alina displays an extraordinary Grisha talent. The Grisha are Ravkan with singular powers, e.g. to call fire, to create wind, to stop hearts. Alina can summon light.
The leader of the Grisha, the Darkling, immediately rushes Alina to the capitol, saying her power is unique, valuable, and makes her an assassination target by enemies of Ravka. While there she meets other Grisha, struggles to fit in, and to believe in her abilities, and begins rigorous training. She feels a strong attraction to the Darkling, which he seems to reciprocate. During two encounters they kiss, and Alina is confused by her reactions to the kisses.
After demonstrating her power to the King and his court, Alina is told by her private tutor that she must flee, that the Darkling is using her, that the Darkling created the Unsea, and that he intends to enslave her and use her Grisha power to conquer the world. Two weeks into her flight, she is nearly captured, being saved Mal. Mal has a nearly supernatural ability to track, and was sent to find her, which he did. But instead of turning her in he helps her escape.
They decide to hunt the magic stag in the far north. If Alina kills the stag, and makes a necklace of his antlers, her powers will be greatly amplified. After much time and effort they find the stag, just as they realize how much they love each other. Alina refuses to kill the stag, and the stag acknowledges this. At that moment the Darkling, and his minions, appear. The Darkling kills the stag, and places the antler necklace on Alina, making her his absolute slave, unable to disobey him in the slightest.
They quickly return south to the major crossing point of the Unsea. The Darkling forces Alina to protect the ship during the crossing. Near the other side the Darkling extends the Unsea, causing great death and destruction. He then throws Mal off the ship, onto the Unsea, to be devoured by monsters. Alina in desperation finally realizes that her act of mercy, in sparing the stag, gives her the possibility to break free of the Darkling's enslavement. Her love of Mal grants her the strength she needs. Alina breaks free, leaps out of the ship, saves Mal, and destroys the ship.
The book ends with Mal and Alina taking passage across the True Sea, escaping from Ravka and the Darkling.
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