ARC Review ⋯ Shadow and Bone

Title: Shadow and Bone
Series: The Grisha ⋯ Book 1
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Pages: 358
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Stars: ★★★★★


Summary: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. 

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. 

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.


Review: Absolutely loved! I loved how conflicted Alina was about everything, like her feelings about her powers and her feelings about Mal. I loved the ending, how it felt like an ending, but still left a lot to be resolved in the next books. I cannot WAIT for the next book.


I was in no way paid for this review. I won this free ARC in a giveaway I entered in.


NOTE: The number of pages is based on my ARC copy.

Book Review ⋯ Grave Mercy

Title: Grave Mercy
Series: His Fair Assassin ⋯ Book 1
Author: Robin LaFevers
Pages: 549
Stars: ★★★★★


Summary: Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? 

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. 

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?


Review: I absolutely loved it! It was so amazing! I loved how detailed everything was, from whatever Ismae's surroundings were to all of her thoughts. And thanks to Nightshade and The Mortal Instruments, I knew what most of the weapons were :).

A very short review, but I will say that ALL OF THE PEOPLE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK and Nun Assassins FTW!

ARC Review ⋯ The Book of Blood and Shadow

Title: The Book of Blood and Shadow
Series: None
Author: Robin Wasserman
Pages: 436
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Stars: ★★★★★


Summary: It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.  When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love.  When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark. 

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead.  His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.


Review: This book was so good! Absolutely amazing! I can't believe it was the first Wasserman book I've read. I loved how I didn't find out who everyone really was until the very end, and I LOVED the ending. It wrapped up nicely, and it felt like an end, there wasn't anything left unfinished. I loved the writing style, too. It was a little different from what I'm used to, in wording and such, but I loved it nonetheless. This is definitely a book you should pick up, and soon.


I was in no way paid for this review. I won this free ARC in a giveaway that I entered in.


NOTE: The number of pages is based on my ARC copy, as I have not checked a final copy.