Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo ; narrated by Lauren Fortgang

"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."

Great start to a series I'm looking forward to finishing. Great story line with twists and turns that make you want to keep reading. I'd read stories in this universe before so I was familiar with the magic, but I still think it's an original magical world. I listened to this on audiobook, and the narrator, Lauren Fortgang, did a good job with the various voices. Not a lot of variations in her voice like with some narrators, but she did a good enough job that I wanted to keep listening. 

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - 435 pages
Book 2 in the Grisha Trilogy

Alina is on the run from everything she's ever known with only her childhood friend Mal to help keep her safe as she is hunted by the forces of the Darkling.  Will she be able to harness the power of her true nature to keep herself safe, much less others?  Alina must reluctantly face her destiny to help dispel the darkness and bring peace to the nation of Ravka.  This is epic fantasy with a definite Russian slant which helps it stand out from the traditional more Euro-centered stories.  Enjoyed it a lot.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - 416 pages
Book 1 in the Grisha Trilogy

This is the first book in an epic fantasy trilogy set in a world that is Russia adjacent but firmly in a land of monsters and magic.  Alina is a war orphan that has been raised with her best friend Mal in the empty mansion of an absent Duke.  They are both drafted into the army to protect the homeland from both invaders and the invasive darkness of The Fold.  Alina discovers truths about herself that change everything and force her to examine her true place in the world.  The book is slow to get going with all the world building in the beginning but it's worth it to keep going.  Fans of Harry Potter will like this one for its reluctant heroine forced into a magical destiny that she doesn't want but can't avoid.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo  422 pages

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.
Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.
Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.
Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction - and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she's fighting for.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo  432 pages

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can't outrun her past or her destiny for long.
The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling's game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo  358 pages

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.