Shadow and Bone

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For the television adaptation, see Shadow and Bone (TV series).

Shadow and Bone

First edition cover

Author Leigh Bardugo

Audio read by Lauren Fortgang

Cover artist Rich Deas[1]

Country United States

Language English
 Series Shadow and Bone trilogy (Book 1)

Genre Fantasy, young-adult novel

Publisher Macmillan Publishers

Publication date
June 5, 2012

Media type Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book

Pages 358

ISBN 978-0-8050-9459-6

Followed by Siege and Storm 

Shadow and Bone is a young adult fantasy adventure and debut novel written by

Israeli-American author Leigh Bardugo. It was published by Macmillan Publishers on
June 5, 2012. The novel is narrated by Alina Starkov, a teenage orphan who grows up
in the Russia-inspired land of Ravka when, unexpectedly harnessing a power she never
knew she had in order to save her childhood best friend, she becomes a target of
intrigue and violence. It is the first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, followed
by Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising. It is also the basis for
the Netflix adaptation, Shadow and Bone, which premiered in April 2021.

Plot[edit]
Alina Starkov is a teenage girl who grew up with Malyen (Mal) Oretsev at an orphanage
in Keramzin in the Kingdom of Ravka. The story begins as they march through the
Unsea (also called the Shadow Fold), a perpetually dark, barren strip of land cutting
most of Ravka off from the sea. Periodic expeditions sent across the Fold to transport
goods and bring back imports are often plagued by monsters called volcra that inhabit
the Unsea. During their crossing, the volcra attack, and, while saving Mal, Alina displays
an extraordinary Grisha talent. The Grisha are people with the ability to manipulate the
elements to use as weapons, e.g. to call fire, to summon wind, to regulate hearts. Alina
is able to summon light and is thus considered a Sun Summoner. There are some
people who think she is a saint whose purpose is to destroy the shadow fold.
The leader of the Grisha, the Darkling, rushes Alina to the capital Os Alta, saying her
power is unique and valuable which makes her an assassination target by enemies of
Ravka. She struggles to fit in with other Grisha and to have confidence in her own
abilities as she begins rigorous training. She feels a strong attraction to the Darkling,
which he seems to reciprocate. During two encounters they kiss, and Alina is confused
by her reactions to the kisses.
After demonstrating her power to the King and his court, Alina is told by her tutor,
Baghra, that she must flee. Baghra reveals herself as the Darkling's mother. She
explains that the Darkling is hundreds of years old, intentionally created the Unsea, and
intends to enslave Alina in order to use her Grisha power to conquer the world. Two
weeks into Alina's flight, she is nearly captured, but is saved by Mal who has a close to
supernatural ability to track, and was sent to find her. Instead of turning her in, he helps
her escape.
They decide to hunt a magic stag in the far north. If Alina kills the stag and makes a
collar of its antlers, her powers will be greatly amplified. After much time and effort,
Alina and Mal find the stag, just as they realize how much they love each other. She
refuses to kill the stag, and the stag acknowledges this. At that moment the Darkling
and his minions appear. The Darkling kills the stag and forces the antler collar on Alina,
making her his absolute slave, unable to disobey him in the slightest.
They quickly return south to the major crossing point of the Unsea. The Darkling forces
Alina to protect the ship during the crossing. Near the other side, the Darkling extends
the Unsea, causing great death, and destruction in Novo Kribirsk. He then throws Mal
off the ship, onto the Unsea, to be devoured by monsters. In desperation, Alina finally
realizes that her act of mercy, sparing the stag, gives her the possibility to break free of
the Darkling's enslavement. Her love of Mal grants her the strength she needs. Alina
breaks free, leaps out of the ship, saves Mal, and destroys the ship.
The book ends with Mal and Alina taking passage across the True Sea, escaping from
Ravka and the Darkling.

Characters[edit]
Main article: Characters of the Grishaverse

Development[edit]
Shadow and Bone is Bardugo's first novel. When Entertainment Weekly questioned
Bardugo about her inspiration for the series, she explained, "In most fantasy, darkness
is metaphorical; it’s just a way of talking about evil (darkness falls across the land, a
dark age is coming, etc.). I wanted to take something figurative and make it literal. So
the question became, 'What if darkness was a place?' What if the monsters lurking
there were real and more horrible than anything you’d ever imagined beneath your bed
or behind the closet door? What if you had to fight them on their own territory, blind and
helpless in the dark? These ideas eventually became the Shadow Fold." [2]

Bardugo defines its genre as Tsarpunk - a fantasy with inspiration from early 19th
century Russia.  When asked why she chose this particular setting, Bardugo explained,
[3]

"I think there’s tremendous power in the images we associate with Russian culture and
history, these extremes of beauty and brutality that lend themselves to fantasy. And
honestly, as much as I love broadswords and flagons of ale—and believe me, I do—I
wanted to take readers someplace a little different. Tsarist Russia gave me a different
point of departure." [2]

Bardugo progressed through the steps of querying agents to accepting representation

to being offered a three-book deal in 37 days.  The Grisha series went to auction on [4]

December 1, 2010 and was sold to Henry Holt and Co./Macmillan on December 3,
2010.  Shadow and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, was published in June 2012.
[4] [5]

Reception[edit]
Publishers Weekly commented that "Alina's angst and passivity are a bit of a letdown,
but Bardugo’s storytelling and world-building more than compensate."  An unnamed [6]

reviewer for Kirkus Reviews praised Bardugo for "allow[ing] the details of Grisha magic
to unfold with limited exposition, using Alina's ignorance for readers' benefit", but
described the world-building as being "continually undercut by clunky colloquialisms".
The reviewer concluded: "The plotting is powerful enough to carry most readers past
flaws and into the next book in the series." [7]

Sequels and related works[edit]

Its sequel and second book in the trilogy, Siege and Storm, was published in June
2013.  The final book in the trilogy, Ruin and Rising, was published in June 2014.
[8] [9]

Also set in the same world as the trilogy  are the Six of Crows (2015) and Crooked [10]

Kingdom (2016) duology; the standalone short story collection The Language of Thorns,

the in-universe hagiography The Lives of Saints, and the writer's introspective
journal The Severed Moon; and the King of Scars (2019) and Rule of Wolves (2021)
duology, which features characters from both the original trilogy and Six of Crows. [11]

Adaptations[edit]
Main article: Shadow and Bone (TV series)
In September 2012, Holly Bario, president of DreamWorks’ production, announced that
she had picked up the movie rights to Shadow and Bone.  David Heyman, who [12]

produced the Harry Potter films, was announced as producer. Jeffrey Clifford, president

of Heyday Films, would also produce the film. [13]

In January 2019, Netflix ordered an eight-episode series based on the Grisha Trilogy

and the Six of Crows duology with Eric Heisserer as showrunner.  Production began in [14]

October 2019 with Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, Ben Barnes as General Kirigan (The
Darkling), Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev, Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya
Nazyalensky, Daisy Head as Genya Safin, and Simon Sears as Ivan. [15]

All eight episodes of the first season were released on April 23, 2021. [16]

The 8 episodes of season 2 were released in March 2023.

References[edit]
1. ^ Cecil, Amanda (June 17, 2014). "Guest Post: Rich Deas on Designing the Grisha Trilogy Covers". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
 2. ^ Jump up to:a b Brissey, Breia (2015-01-18). "'Shadow and Bone': Author Leigh Bardugo talks her debut novel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
3. ^ Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - why should you read it?
4. ^ Jump up to:a b McCormick, Casey (2011-01-10). "Leigh Bardugo: From Query To Book Deal in 37 Days". Literaryrambles.com. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
5. ^ Bardugo, Leigh (2012-06-05). Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy) (9780805094596): Leigh Bardugo: Books. ISBN 978-0805094596.
6. ^ "Shadow and Bone". Publishers Weekly. June 5, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
7. ^ "SHADOW AND BONE". Kirkus Reviews. June 5, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
8. ^ Leigh Bardugo. "Siege and Storm | Leigh Bardugo | Macmillan". Us.macmillan.com. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
9. ^ Leigh Bardugo. "Ruin and Rising | Leigh Bardugo | Macmillan". Us.macmillan.com. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
10. ^ "'King Of Scars' Muses On The Monstrous". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
11. ^ Bardugo, Leigh (2019-01-29). Amazon.com: King of Scars (King of Scars Duology) (9781250231185): Leigh Bardugo: Gateway. ISBN 978-1250142283.
12. ^ "DreamWorks' Shadow and Bone Lands Writer". The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
13. ^ Breznican, Anthony (2012-09-12). "'Harry Potter' producer to make 'Shadow and Bone'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (January 10, 2019). "Netflix Orders Shadow And Bone Series Based On Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse Novels From Eric Heisserer & Shawn Levy". Deadline
Hollywood. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
15. ^ Harris, Latesha (2 October 2019). "TV News Roundup: Netflix Reveals Cast of New Series 'Shadow and Bone'". Variety. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
16. ^ "Netflix's Shadow and Bone is a muddled, joyless checklist of fantasy tropes". 23 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-23.

External links[edit]
 "Everything You Need to Know Before Viewing Season 2 of Shadow and Bone".
March 17, 2023.
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Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse

Characters

Shadow and Bone (2012)

Shadow and
Siege and Storm (2013)

Bone trilogy
Ruin and Rising (2014)

Six of Six of Crows (2015)

Crows duology Crooked Kingdom (2016)

King of King of Scars (2019)

Scars duology Rule of Wolves (2021)

Adaptations Shadow and Bone (2021 TV series)

Categories: 
 2012 American novels
 2012 fantasy novels
 American fantasy novels
 Debut fantasy novels
 High fantasy novels
 Novels about orphans
 Novels by Leigh Bardugo
 Young adult fantasy novels
 Slavic mythology in popular culture
 American novels adapted into television shows
 Macmillan Publishers books