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Review

Whoa, what a finish!

Pretty much anything I say here is going to be a spoiler for the trilogy, but let me just say that this book had everything that I wanted as our troops rally and the preparations for the final battle begin. We saw everything, we got answers to everything, and every little story arc is tied up and finished off beautifully.

But Leigh Bardugo certainly doesn’t pull any punches, with not everybody making it through alive, and some pretty epic surprises along the way. A number of times I actually screamed to the room ‘Noooooooooooooo!!!’, but it was a great ride with lots of action, big reveals, great character dynamics, and even a little bit of romance.

Alina’s journey is full of heartache, but ultimately uplifting, and I loved the development of her character throughout the series. She’s strong yet vulnerable, and the author mixed these parts of her really well. She is faced with so much, with massive expectations placed on her, and I really enjoyed watching her deal with all of that, and the impact that it had on her. She’s definitely one of my favourite YA heroines.

And then there’s Mal. Strong, dependable, trustworthy Mal. He’s a great character, and although I wish we could have gotten a bit more time with him, the time we do get shows us his selflessness and his absolute devotion to Alina, which is incredibly special.

“You move forward, and when you falter, you get up. And when you can’t, you let us carry you. You let me carry you.”

The Darkling continues to be a seductively sinister presence. Love him or hate him, you have to admit he is one intriguing character, and I really liked the different sides that we get to see of him. I also really like his ‘relationship’ with Alina, and the different facets of that. I thought that was shown really well in this book.

But favourite of the series has to go to Nikolai. He brings so much to the book, and his arrogance and sarcasm provides a lot of lightness and entertainment to what is, essentially, a pretty dark story. He has some pretty huge moments in this book, and while I was broken hearted for him, he carries it off with style. You’ve gotta love him!

And yes, there’s a love story. It’s a little bit more present in this book than in the others, which makes sense as the story comes to a close. I loved it, and thoroughly enjoyed the little moments of swoon.

“He cupped my cheek, his thumb tracing my lip. “You are all I’ve ever wanted,” he said. “You are the whole of my heart.”

Overall, I have really enjoyed this trilogy, and I’m really happy with how everything ended. It’s dark but fun, adventurous, intriguing and the fantasy element is great – very imaginative, but real enough to be maybe just a little bit believable.

I loved it – 4 stars.

 

Shadow and Bone