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Shadow and Bone

Jun19

shadow and boneShadow and Bone is the first in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy. Alina Starkov is a scrawny orphan with little past and an uncertain future. As a conscript mapmaker in the First Army of Ravka she is sent across the Fold, a sea of dark magic that destroys all it covers. Her skif is attacked and, in the panic, Alina discovers she has suppressed her magickal powers. Alina is taken to the Darkling, the prince of the Grisha, and taught to use her powers.

The first half of the book is pretty slow and full of frustrating elements. I’m finding insecurity and a lack of self-belief poor obstacles for making protagonists resistant to taking on the challenges presented to them. I know it’s completely realistic and that’s how people feel, but I’m finding it boring in stories. Or maybe it’s just boring if it’s not written well. There’s some cliched mean girls bitchiness between Alina and the more privileged of the other Grisha students. The Darkling is a one hundred and twenty year old magic user and appears to be captivated by Alina. This is somewhat unbelievable, given what we know about both characters, and I was happy to discover this was misdirection.

I’ve read some reviews that suggest the Russian elements of the setting weren’t very convincing and I don’t know enough to judge myself. Alina’s immediate surroundings are well described, but the sense of the wider world was vague. I liked that Bardugo chose something different to inspire her fantasy world and nothing struck me as out of place.

The second half of the book was much better. The conflict becomes much more meaningful and the pace picks up. Alina’s understanding of the world is flipped over and she is on the run. It’s quite tense and I found myself nearly missing my stop on a couple of occasions.

It’s not the most skillfully written book but it’s not awful. It’s written in first person from Alina’s point of view but never gets right inside her head. I would rather it had been in third person. On the whole, though, I liked this. It’s a slow start but a cracking finish. I do like an exciting ending and I appreciated the twists in the middle. If you’re looking for a change of pace in your fantasy reading this could be just the thing.

Half a King

Apr23

half-a-king-uk-hbHalf a King is Joe Abercrombie’s first YA novel and the first part of the Shattered Sea trilogy.

The protagonist is Prince Yarvi, who is studying to become a healer/priest/diplomat. He has a twisted hand which means he can’t wield a weapon, somewhat of a disadvantage in a medieval setting where might is right. But that’s ok, he’s the second son of the king and is free to use his brain instead.

Then Yarvi’s father and older brother are killed in an ambush and Yarvi’s life changes. He must assume the throne. He wrestles with his feelings of inadequacy and is beginning to come to terms with his new role when his uncle betrays him, usurps the throne and leaves him for dead.

Yarvi rashly swears an oath to avenge his father and regain his throne, but he has been captured and sold as a slave, so first he has to get free and get home.

I’m a fan of Joe Abercrombie and Half a King certainly confirmed that. I’m not a young adult so I don’t read YA novels often. I loved this and am eagerly awaiting the second in the series.

Yarvi is not an entirely likeable character. Throughout the book he learns his own strength and discovers that he can be a leader. He also learns how to be ruthless. He has some hard choices to make and sometimes there’s no good outcome whatever you do. This is a lot to put on young shoulders. Watching Yarvi’s growth is fascinating.

There are layers and layers of plot full of twists and betrayals. I’m impressed by the way every twist makes perfect sense within the story yet I was surprised by each one. It’s no mean feat.

The supporting characters are great and have real presence. Nothing is a favourite of mine. It was clear from the beginning that he was not what he seemed, but I was still surprised by the reveal at the end of the book.

I was a little disappointed by the small proportion of female characters in the book. Even given a medieval setting more could have been made of the ones that were there and there could have been more of them. I did like the discovery at the end of the book that the real reason for all these layers of betrayal was an attempt to neutralise a powerful female character, so there is hope that there will be greater balance in the sequels.

Overall, I loved it and would highly recommend it for adults of all ages.

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