When Netflix’s Shadow and Bone television show premiered in April of this year, it was immediately met with overwhelming success. The fantasy show amassed over one billion viewership minutes in its second week of release! Thus, it came as no surprise that many of my friends were die-hard fans. Over the months, I saw the show, quite literally, everywhere: on social media, in the news, and especially in my friends’ moony-eyed text messages. I was skeptical, however. Being more of a book than a film person, I decided to pick up the novel that the show was based on in the first place: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. When I say this book did not disappoint, I say it wholeheartedly. Shadow and Bone is a fantasy novel set in the lavish kingdom of Ravka, where a magical elite called Grisha wield coveted powers. But, the kingdom is plagued by a dark, mysterious land called the Fold. Countless ships, people, and Grisha have gone missing while trying to cross the Fold because of the man-eating creatures—volcra—that reside there. But people still cling to the hope of a Sun Summoner. The Summoner is believed to be a Grisha who will eradicate the Fold and restore peace to the land at last. When seventeen-year-old Alina Starkov is called to journey across the Fold, she is seized with terror. Not only is she scared for herself, but she fears for the safety of her best friend since childhood, Mal. She might not admit it, but she has come to develop feelings for him that go beyond friendship. So when Mal is brutally injured in a horrifying volcra attack mid-journey, Alina unknowingly unleashes a power that saves his life. Before Alina can even comprehend what she has done, a mysterious Grisha named the Darkling whisks her away to train along with the rest of the Grisha as the most powerful of them all: the long-awaited Sun Summoner. I loved every minute of reading Shadow and Bone! The worldbuilding, a rich tapestry of friends, foes, kingdoms, and language, was fantastic. And I loved the language influences so much—they established the vibe of the story. I haven’t read a solid fantasy book in quite a while, and this book reminded me of how lovely and well-crafted they usually are. While the entire story was such fun to read, the ending was what truly had my heart racing. I genuinely struggled with having to put this book down and go to sleep when I was in the middle of the climax. There was so much suspense and emotion that I was full to bursting, and even when I finished the book, I had to close my eyes and mentally recollect myself. There aren’t many books that can do that, so it was truly a thrilling and memorable experience! On the downside, one of the weakest parts of the book was the romance. Mal is the main love interest in the story; however, his relationship with Alina is terribly underdeveloped. Mal wasn’t present for the majority of Shadow and Bone, so it was hard to root for him as a friend and love interest when I didn’t see him interact with Alina frequently. All I saw was Alina pining for him and writing letters that he never responded to. Not the most electrifying relationship. Overall, Shadow and Bone was an exquisite fantasy novel that merits a full five-star rating. I look forward to finishing the trilogy and seeing how the show measures up to the novel. This is truly a story that deserves to be adapted on-screen. Thank you for this masterpiece, Leigh Bardugo! Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Square Fish, 2o13. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Lore, Reviewed by April, 13
Sometimes the best books do not need to be love at first sight—it definitely wasn’t with this one! When I turned to page one of Lore by Alexandra Bracken, I was immediately blown away, but not in the best sense of the term. The immediate, heated setting of a boxing ring, combined with a plethora of Greek terms, was enough to thoroughly overwhelm me. That time, I had closed the book, taken a few deep breaths, and left it to collect dust on my bookshelf. By reading in bits and pieces, though, I eventually became enthralled by the convoluted world Bracken had woven through the pages. Lore is a standalone contemporary fantasy that follows the adventures of a young girl named Lore, the last mortal descendant of the House of Perseus. She is haunted by the Agon: an event that takes place every seven years, which forces nine gods to roam the Earth as mortals while being hunted by mortals. Once a mortal kills a god, that mortal gains the god’s power and strength, and because of human greed, the cycle can never end. Lore, however, has escaped the deathly Agon. That is, until an old friend and a goddess come seeking aid, and she must choose whether or not to insert herself back into the situation that killed her parents and two sisters. I genuinely enjoyed this book, what with its multifaceted characters and impeccable world-building. Lore serves as the perfect protagonist for this particular story—her anger is her fatal flaw, and that comes up multiple times in the book. I also liked how the novel emphasized the power imbalance between genders. Where males were seen as the only ones fit to become gods and be in any sort of leadership position, women could only sit still, look pretty, and consider themselves lucky if they were not sacrificed for one reason or another. Lore speaks heatedly about this subject throughout the book, and the conversations she had were very realistic and mature, which I appreciated. At times, the Greek terms and different ancient houses became too much to process—I couldn’t keep track of who was who and what specific Greek words meant. Having to flip to the glossary every time an unfamiliar word popped up was frustrating and deterring. Having studied Greek mythology extensively in my free time, I was able to fare generally well and understand the many references to Greek mythology. However, I would definitely tell those who don’t know much about Greek mythology to beware—it may be overwhelming and confusing. I’d recommend reading something fun and informational, like Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, to get you warmed up if you don’t know much about all things Greek. Also, there were so many components of this world that I would have loved for this book to have a sequel, just so we could tie up some of the loose ends. Besides, I am not a fan of open endings in general. This one, however, did fit with the story and still offered that satisfying, tingling feeling you get when you finish a good book. So, surprisingly, it did not disappoint! Overall, an enjoyable and deep read fit for older readers! Those who have followed Alexandra Bracken’s work since The Darkest Minds, and especially those who have not, will find an irresistible story of gods, monsters, and simmering betrayal within these pages. If I could go back in time, I would thank my struggling self for deciding to power through the novel. It was truly worth it. Lore by Alexandra Bracken. Disney-Hyperion, 2021. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Heartless, Reviewed by April, 13
If you have read Alice in Wonderland before, the Queen of Hearts is most likely your least favorite character. She is temperamental—“Off with your head!”—and does several perplexing things, such as forcing her subjects to paint white roses red. But have you ever wondered how the Queen of Hearts’ foul personality came to be? In Heartless, author Marissa Meyer suggests that the queen was once a bright and lively girl named Catherine Pinkerton. In Meyer’s story, Catherine is the wealthy daughter of a marquess, and the King of Hearts wants to marry her—but, Catherine dreams of other things. She dreams of opening a bakery with her maid Mary Ann; she dreams of the support of her strict parents; she dreams of being able to make money without a husband. But, it’s the cold, hard truth that it’s nearly impossible for Catherine to open a bakery with financial or emotional support. No one would ever approve of her dreams, especially her parents. But everything changes when Jest, the court joker, makes his way into Catherine’s life. As she falls for the charming and witty commoner, Catherine begins to doubt the lavish life her parents have planned out for her even more. Is she really to marry the silly, bumbling King of Hearts, or can she find a way to open her bakery and end up with Jest? Can Catherine have her cake and eat it too? This book gave me all the giggles, thrills, and fever dreams of Lewis Carroll’s original novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and I feel that Marissa Meyer has truly done the 1865 novel justice! Everything is described beautifully and accurately. If Heartless were an official prequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I would not doubt it. Meyer develops the story so that Catherine is sweet and hopeful in the beginning, yet eventually ends up as the cruel Queen of Hearts because of a series of significant events. Far from hating Catherine, I felt that her motives were absolutely understandable and sympathized with her. The book offers an entirely new perspective concerning the queen’s temperament. Not to mention, this book is a food lover’s paradise—from luscious lemon tarts to macarons that are “sweet and delicate and smooth, with just a tiny crunch from the meringue, and a subtle floral moment from the distilled rose water,” you won’t be disappointed by the descriptions of dessert! The only thing I would note is the unnatural start of Catherine and Jest’s relationship. After just one encounter with Jest, Catherine begins to fall in love, which seems very rushed. Aside from that, though, the chemistry and dialogue between the two characters are just right. (Oops, wrong fairy tale!) The secondary characters are irresistible as well. The Cheshire Cat is hands down my favorite; while Catherine thinks him to be gossipy and unpredictable, the magical cat proves he is loyal, companionable, and surprisingly wise in multiple instances. Additionally, Hatta, who is the Mad Hatter in the original story, is interesting because he seems very confident and mysterious, yet there is anxiety and fear beneath his words. These secondary characters are written well enough to be brilliant on their own, but not so idiosyncratic that they take away from the main characters, Catherine and Jest. All in all, Heartless contains everything its readers wish for: romance, enigma, sass, suspense, and magic. This book will fill you up just as much as one of Catherine’s delicious treats. Heartless by Marissa Meyer. Feiwel and Friends, 2016. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
