A spellbinding fantasy book about friendship, bravery, and everything in between! For so long, I saw the author, Alex Aster, everywhere in my Instagram reels, so I decided to give her novel a go. Let me say, it did not disappoint. The worldbuilding was a rich tapestry, and the Latin influences gave the world a familiar feel while still taking its own unique form. The description and writing are lovely. The Book of Cuentos excerpts gave everything a magical feel and corresponded well with the story. However, what did bother me the most (and docked a star from my rating) was how eerily reminiscent the characters were of the trio in Harry Potter. Tor was somewhat like Harry, but Melda and Engle were exact copies of Hermione and Ron, respectively. Overall, though, the worldbuilding more than made up for it. The book ended on a cliffhanger that is so infuriating but enticing. I hope to get my hands on the second book soon!

A spellbinding fantasy book about friendship, bravery, and everything in between! For so long, I saw the author, Alex Aster, everywhere in my Instagram reels, so I decided to give her novel a go. Let me say, it did not disappoint. The worldbuilding was a rich tapestry, and the Latin influences gave the world a familiar feel while still taking its own unique form. The description and writing are lovely. The Book of Cuentos excerpts gave everything a magical feel and corresponded well with the story. However, what did bother me the most (and docked a star from my rating) was how eerily reminiscent the characters were of the trio in Harry Potter. Tor was somewhat like Harry, but Melda and Engle were exact copies of Hermione and Ron, respectively. Overall, though, the worldbuilding more than made up for it. The book ended on a cliffhanger that is so infuriating but enticing. I hope to get my hands on the second book soon!

WOW. This book was brilliant! I loved every moment of it, from the characters to the gentle chaos to the full-blown chaos within the walls of a prestigious ballet conservatory. The writing style was beautiful, at once heartbreaking and concise, with incredible worldbuilding and description. The idea of a picture-perfect group of ballet dancers each hiding dark secrets was executed just right. The characters definitely weren't the flawless images they project onstage. There were so many issues and topics covered in this book, but they kept the pages flying fast and my suspense mounted high. Truly a stellar book with a cliffhanger that nearly killed me (and someone else in the book...). I can't wait to continue this journey in the sequel.

WOW. This book was brilliant! I loved every moment of it, from the characters to the gentle chaos to the full-blown chaos within the walls of a prestigious ballet conservatory. The writing style was beautiful, at once heartbreaking and concise, with incredible worldbuilding and description. The idea of a picture-perfect group of ballet dancers each hiding dark secrets was executed just right. The characters definitely weren't the flawless images they project onstage. There were so many issues and topics covered in this book, but they kept the pages flying fast and my suspense mounted high. Truly a stellar book with a cliffhanger that nearly killed me (and someone else in the book...). I can't wait to continue this journey in the sequel.

An absolutely breathtaking book! The worldbuilding in Shadow & Bone was fantastic: a rich tapestry of friends, foes, kingdoms, language (I loved the language influences so much, they really established the vibe of the story), and magic. I haven't read a solid fantasy book in quite a while, and this book reminded me of how lovely and well-crafted they usually are. This story follows a poor, overlooked girl (Alina) who accidentally reveals her world-changing powers and is whisked away to a palace to start her life anew. While this isn't the most original storyline, it was executed well, and I liked that while romance wasn't the focal point of the book, it complemented it in a way that it carried the plot. The development of Alina and the Darkling's relationship, in juxtaposition with Alina and Mal's, was so electrifying and uncertain that it felt like standing on top of a skyscraper and nearly falling at every moment. The ending was what truly had my heart racing, and it took all my effort to put the book down in the dark of night.

An absolutely breathtaking book! The worldbuilding in Shadow & Bone was fantastic: a rich tapestry of friends, foes, kingdoms, language (I loved the language influences so much, they really established the vibe of the story), and magic. I haven't read a solid fantasy book in quite a while, and this book reminded me of how lovely and well-crafted they usually are. This story follows a poor, overlooked girl (Alina) who accidentally reveals her world-changing powers and is whisked away to a palace to start her life anew. While this isn't the most original storyline, it was executed well, and I liked that while romance wasn't the focal point of the book, it complemented it in a way that it carried the plot. The development of Alina and the Darkling's relationship, in juxtaposition with Alina and Mal's, was so electrifying and uncertain that it felt like standing on top of a skyscraper and nearly falling at every moment. The ending was what truly had my heart racing, and it took all my effort to put the book down in the dark of night.