Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo, 2012
Fantasy Young adultRomancePoetry
A mapmaker in a war-torn kingdom discovers a power that could save her country—and becomes the obsession of a charming, dangerous Grisha commander. A lonely mapmaker's voice pulls you through war camps and palace halls, with longing and dangerous power humming under the romance.
Feels like longing, serenity and wonder. About power, identity and love.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy young-adult fantasy with a strong romantic thread and a heroine discovering an unsettling power. If you want grim, adult-scale worldbuilding, the YA romance focus and familiar chosen-one shape may feel lighter than you'd like.
Why read it
It gives you a tense, romantic escape into a divided kingdom, with a heroine whose loyalty and fear keep the magic personal.
A page from the book
The moment you realise missing someone has become a habit.
I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I’d catch myself just walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I’d seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I’d realize that you weren’t there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I’ve risked my life for you. I’ve walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I’d do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don’t tell me why we don’t belong together," he said fiercely. Leigh Bardugo.The word 'Grisha' is a Russian diminutive of Grigori (Gregory); Bardugo borrowed it for her order of magic-users.
Books that feel like this
More by Leigh Bardugo
Six of Crows
Leigh Bardugo, 2015
A crew of teenage outcasts takes on an impossible heist in a city of canals, bribes and betrayals.
Siege and Storm
Leigh Bardugo, 2013
A sun-summoner is hunted, a kingdom fractures, and every alliance asks what she will trade for power.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Shadow and Bone for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy young-adult fantasy with a strong romantic thread and a heroine discovering an unsettling power. If you want grim, adult-scale worldbuilding, the YA romance focus and familiar chosen-one shape may feel lighter than you'd like.
- What is Shadow and Bone like?
- A lonely mapmaker's voice pulls you through war camps and palace halls, with longing and dangerous power humming under the romance. Feels like longing, serenity and wonder. About power, identity and love.
- What should I read after Shadow and Bone?
- If you liked Shadow and Bone, try Queen of Shadows (Sarah J. Maas), Threshing Day (Rebecca Yarros) and Twisted Love (Ana Huang).
A taste of the feed
Immortal warriors are not immune to a well-cut nightgown.
Thirty minutes later, Rowan was still staring up at the ceiling, teeth gritted as he calmed the roaring in his veins that was steadily shredding through his self-control. That gods-damned nightgown. Shit. He was in such deep, unending shit.
Queen of Shadows · Sarah J. Maas
Banter is its own kind of armor when dragons are in the trees.
Swear to the gods, you have the patience of a saint for every marked one but me. Why is that, Imogen?” The sound of my name on his lips threatens to turn my stomach gooey, so I shut that down immediately. “Because I don’t like you.” “Now, now. There’s no reason to lie.” He grins, and that dimple pops again. “Is it that hard to believe a woman is immune to your charms?” I keep my gaze forward, scanning the forest around us for the fire-breathing dragons that are supposed to be wandering about. “You think I’m charming?” His grin widens, and I roll my eyes.
Threshing Day · Rebecca Yarros
The hardest sacrifice might not be death.
Love.” The word floated between us on a soft gust of air. “Deep, abiding, unconditional love. You want it so much you’re willing to live for it.” Most people thought the biggest sacrifice they could make was to die for something. They were wrong. The biggest sacrifice someone could make was to live for something—to allow it to consume you and turn you into a version of yourself you didn’t recognize. Death was oblivion; life was reality, the harshest truth that had ever existed.
Twisted Love · Ana Huang
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