Shadow and Bone is a fantasy series about the Grisha, humans who practice the “small science”, specialized magic.    Most of the Grisha are one of three orders – Materialki, Corperalki, or Atherealki, but there are sub-order of each type too, all defined within a guild-like hierarchy.   The Grisha are an elite group enlisted as soldiers in the nation of Ravka.   There is conflict with other nations on this world, but the greater danger is the emergence of the Shadow Fold, a dark barrier full of killing creatures.    At the court level in Ravka there is a struggle underway for power and control, mostly the work of the Darkling, a Grisha with special abilities.

Into this a teenager named Alina Starkoff finds herself trapped in the Shadow Fold and in mortal danger, she discovers that she also has special abilities.    The rest of the novel is the account of a struggle between Alina and a few supporters and the Grisha army led by the Darkling.

The author uses the limited perspective technique so that we learn about the world through Alina.   The novel is plot-driven with interesting characters and lots of world-building.    The dialogue is not particularly strong, but the story moves along at a brisk pace.   The strength of the books is the imaginative development of the Grisha world.

It is recommended to readers who enjoy well-developed fantasy stories – 4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0

An audiobook excerpt, as a sampler: